Turf Wars
by kisescryingface
Summary: AU. When a police officer, Aomine Daiki, rescued a popular model, Kise Ryouta, from a drug bust operation, he found himself caught between the crossfire of two rival yakuza clans.
1. Chapter 1

"Ahh— Good job everyone! Let's wrap everything up now so we can get started on an early lunch after one hell of a morning!" declares Wakamatsu Kousuke, a senior police officer, while he patted his sore left cheek from having been punched by one of the drug dealers he had caught earlier.

He was only too happy that the drug bust operation that had taken over his life for the past month is finally over with great results. He couldn't wait to finally get some proper shut-eye after being placed on lookout duty for most of the nights in the previous week. He was gleefully all set to start the car engine and leave the site of the abandoned warehouse after shoving the last crook into the police transport when Aomine Daiki, the newly promoted Assistant Police Inspector, interrupted his jolly mood.

"Wait, wait. Where's the big white container?" said Aomine Daiki, the field supervisor for that morning's drug bust operation, as he glanced over the pile of items that the police squad had confiscated.

"Oh come on— It has been a loooongg morning. What white container? Didn't we already check out everything on the investigation report? 6 good-for-nothing drug dealers and 22 laundry sacks filled with Class B drugs. We've completely wiped the place clean. What else are you trying to pick on now?" a disgruntled Wakamatsu asked in return.

"When we were observing this place two nights ago, I saw a dark blue van pull over the entrance and a huge white container was carried into this building. I don't see anything of that description right now," Aomine said firmly as he took another look at the exterior of the warehouse.

"I was with you that night. How come I didn't see anything?"

"Because you were fast asleep on the job you idiot."

"Are you sure you were not sleeping too and dreamt up this mysterious white container? Why didn't you write it down in the observation report?"

"Tsk— I hate writing things down so I just kept a mental note. But I know what I _saw_ that night so I'm going to go in again to have another look around."

"DAMNIT YOU POLICE SCUM! WHY ARE YOU SLACKING OFF NOW? CHARGE US NOW AND BE DONE WITH IT!" one of the drug dealers yelled frantically after overhearing Aomine's statement.

"Heh, this isn't slacking off. It's called doing a thorough job," Aomine replied nonchalantly at the agitated drug dealers in the police transport.

"YOU ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING! WHAT MORE DO YOU EXPECT TO FIND?" another drug dealer yelled at Aomine.

"Hmm… Based on your reactions, I'm starting to get really curious if we did indeed forget something back there—" Aomine smirked.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARDS— THERE'S NOTHING LEFT IN THERE—"

"Suddenly you guys are making a lot of noise after I mentioned the white container— Means it's still in there," said Aomine as he yawned and stretched himself for another trip into the warehouse.

"Need back-up?" Wakamatsu asked.

"Nah, we got all of them anyway—" said Aomine as he disappeared into the warehouse.

It wasn't a huge warehouse. The place used to be a small storage facility for a pottery factory before it closed down due to the bad economy a few years back. Now the place is deserted and nobody has laid claim to it yet making it a popular spot for all sorts of illegal activities. Other than the vastly empty storage space, a front entrance and a smaller back entrance, there was only one small room which could have been office at one time. Aomine sighed in frustration as he had already gone through every inch of the warehouse and it was starting to get ridiculous that he couldn't spot the container he saw the other night. As he finally gave up on his search and turned towards the main entrance, he caught sight of Wakamatsu smirking at him.

"What? Happy that you could be right about me dreaming up the whole thing?" Aomine asked annoyed.

"Heh. Not really. I just found an entrance to an underground cellar at the back of the warehouse. With a new lock on it—"

"Then why the hell are you still standing there? Did you check what's inside?"

"Not yet. Unlike you, I need back-up," Wakamatsu gloated before Aomine smacked him in the head on his way out.

Now that he was standing at the back of the warehouse, he quickly spotted the entrance to the cellar that Wakamatsu was referring to and wondered how he had missed it earlier in the morning when they had ambushed the place.

"The entrance was obscured by that huge wooden board. I just thought it seemed out of place and when I looked closer, I saw that it was covering some sort of door. Judging from the new lock on it, I'm sure there's been some recent activity here," Wakamatsu said as he appeared behind Aomine.

"Right—" said Aomine as he fired two shots on the lock with his handgun immediately reducing the lock into obscured pieces.

"Whoa— You know we could have gone back to our police vehicle and get special equipment to dismantle the lock right?"

"Too slow," Aomine mumbled as he pulled open the cellar doors to take a peek inside.

When he found his footing on the basement floor, all he saw was a dimly lit open space with the white container he had in mind strangely parked in the middle of it all. Upon closer inspection, he took note of the sight of a used, old mattress right next to the container with a few used condoms scattered on top of it. He also noticed a couple of vibrators lying around in the vicinity and came to a quick conclusion that some sexual activity must have taken place on that very spot.

"Doesn't look like anything related to drugs— I probably just caught them bringing in a container of sex toys and those guys were too embarrassed to admit that they were having some fun down here—" Aomine mumbled to himself in a disappointed tone as he made a brief circle around the container whose lid was slightly ajar.

Aomine was about to call out to Wakamatsu who was waiting outside to grab a few more of their officers to help him carry the container to ground level when he heard a faint but slight movement coming from inside the container.

Curious, Aomine slowly pushed the slightly open lid to discover that there was a person in the container causing him to leap a step back in surprise of what he just saw.

"What the hell— Oi! Wakamatsu! Call an ambulance right now!"

"Huh? What's going on?" a curious Wakamatsu peeked in from the entrance only to have Aomine glare back angrily at him for being slow.

"Don't come any nearer. Just… Just call an ambulance!" he yelled back at Wakamatsu who was stunned from Aomine's sudden outburst and was gone instantly to make the necessary calls.

Aomine took another brief look at what he just saw in the container earlier, swallowing the view of a naked guy with messy blonde hair, gagged and blindfolded with both his hands and feet secured tied with masking tape. He winced when he caught sight of a dildo shoved painfully in the back entrance of the guy and panicked over what he was supposed to do now. Despite being gagged, Aomine could hear that the guy seemed to be awake and the first thing Aomine did was to push the container so that it fell onto its side before dragging the captive out. The guy was trembling and mumbling louder this time from the sudden, intense movement and Aomine hesitated twice about pulling the dildo out of the guy's entrance but did it anyway in one swift movement.

"Ngghh—" the guy moaned as he ejaculated on Aomine's uniform.

"Ah, shit. Damn, sorry but I had to pull that thing out. You looked like you were in pain," Aomine apologized frantically as he started to pull out the gag from the guy's mouth. He then proceeded to unravel the blindfold and found himself staring into strange but striking, tearful amber eyes.

"Wha— Who—" the blonde guy mumbled as he started to shake uncontrollably.

"Shh… You're safe now. Hang on for a bit. Help is coming," Aomine assured the captive before he decided to take off his jacket to cover the guy's nakedness and held him tight against his own chest to provide some warmth for the cold, trembling figure as he waited anxiously for Wakamatsu to return with some help.

"Oi— They just arrived so— Wha? Who is that? Where did he come from?" asked Wakamatsu surprised with the turn of events as he gestured to the paramedics to hurry up and help the captive.

"Human trafficking I guess? Damn… Let's just get him to the hospital first and ask questions later," Aomine said worryingly as he slowly released the blonde figure from his grasp to allow the paramedics to do their work.

* * *

Just a short distance away from the warehouse, two tall figures were braving the chilly autumn air as they stood underneath a tree and observed the hectic activity going on around the warehouse. They had arrived just in time to see the paramedics carry a blonde figure on a stretcher into the ambulance before it left the scene in a hurry with its sirens wailing.

"Hai— I told you we should have dealt with this before we stopped by that store to buy snacks on the way here," grumbles the smaller figure, a stunning-looking guy with slick black hair obscuring his left eye and a tiny beauty mark just underneath his exposed eye.

"Won't make much difference. Even if we had arrived earlier, the police were already all over this place. Let's just use that as an excuse…" replied the other figure, a lazy giant with messy, shoulder-length purple hair and a half-eaten chocolate bar in his right hand.

"No way am I going to be the one telling Akashi-sama. That's all on you," scoffs the first guy as he slowly walked away from the scene with the giant trailing behind him munching hungrily on his chocolate bar.

* * *

"So it's definitely Kise Ryouta?" Wakamatsu asked Aomine anxiously at the hospital waiting area.

"Who's Kise Ryouta?"

"I know you're leaving under a rock but have you seriously not seen that face even once in your pathetic life? How else did we identify him immediately when he has absolutely nothing on him? He's a model! A legit one compared to your Mai-something!" Wakamatsu scoffs.

"Horihata Mai you mean! Don't you dare talk about her like that! I could stare at her all day then look at your deformed face for even a minute!"

"Whatever. But seriously Aomine-kun, what is going on? How does Kise Ryouta fit in all this? That guy has a squeaky clean image and is loved by all of Japan!"

"Maybe he was just an unlucky victim in all this. Since you said that he's an idol, the drug dealers might have kidnapped him for ransom as a side source of income. Has he been reported to be missing?"

"No, no. That's the thing. I called the station and there was no missing report filed for Kise Ryouta. You would have thought that his agency or just about anyone would have noticed if he had gone missing. Unless his disappearance is kept under wraps to avoid the media making a big deal out of it and endangering his life at the same time… Well, you know how the entertainment industry works…"

"Actually I don't. Why don't you go back to the station and settle the report for this morning's operation. I'll take care of this one," Aomine said shooing Wakamatsu away.

* * *

When Kise finally woke up, he felt that he was completely drained of all his energy as he lay helplessly on the hospital bed, in a cubicle with the curtains drawn in. He could immediately guess that he was in a hospital from the buzz going on around him and the uncomfortable feeling of an IV tube in his right hand attached to a drip. As he tried to make himself comfortable with the unfamiliar environment, he was suddenly alerted to the presence of another person on the left side of his bed.

"Shit— Police," Kise cursed aloud under his breath as he glared at the guy in police uniform seated on a chair right next to his bed, reading what looked like an indecent gravure idol magazine.

"Huh? Oh good. You're awake! And that's not a nice way for you to greet your saviour!" Aomine grinned at Kise.

"Eh? Saviour?"

"Uh-huh. I heard that you're a famous model… Hmm… Do you think you could put in a good word for me to my superiors for saving you from those bad guys? Hahaha," Aomine laughed carelessly.

Kise was slightly perplexed with Aomine's reaction towards him but upon guessing that the police officer wasn't there to arrest him, he tried to relax a bit and threw a baffled look at the officer, hoping that he can get some sort of information on his current situation.

"You… Saved me? From those guys? What happened to them?"

"Staying overnight in the stuffy prison cell of my station. I have people sorting out the paperwork to charge them for their misdeeds. They should be escorted to one of the precinct prisons by noon tomorrow and locked away for a while. So uh, can I ask how you got involved in this? We have been watching those guys to bust them for drug dealing for over a month and you sort of came into the picture a couple of nights back… It didn't make much sense to us… Eh, don't worry. I'm not writing anything down here. Only a few people knew about you being here. Wakamatsu told me to keep this one quiet to protect your image."

"… Thanks… I… I… I don't know… How I got into this… Maybe… They wanted ransom money," Kise muttered without looking at Aomine.

"That's what I thought too! A crime of opportunity! Hahaha— Oh damn, I'm so sorry. That was quite rude. You must have gone through hell back there with uh, what they did to you," Aomine said with a concerned look as he recalled the state Kise was in when he first found him.

"I'm feeling much better now... Maybe they could let me out soon…"

"Is there anyone you wanted to give a call to? Your agency maybe? I could probably drive you back to your place or something! I don't think you're in any danger anymore too since we've already caught all those guys from this morning!"

"Uh… I—" Kise's words were interrupted when the cubicle curtains were pulled back by a tall, bespectacled, green-haired doctor wearing a birthday party hat.

"Kise-kun, it's because you did not bring your lucky item for Tuesday that you got yourself into this mess— Oh sorry, I didn't see you," the doctor said as he adjusted his glasses upon seeing Aomine with Kise. "I thought I discussed with the other police officer just now that the hospital will take good care of Kise-kun and that there is no need for you guys be here anymore," he continued grimly.

"Whatever Wakamatsu said to you does not apply to me. Anyway, we're not treating this as a police case… Unless Kise wants us to," he glanced back at Kise nervously. "But uh, I do feel responsible over everything that has happened this morning so I'm staying here until Kise is well enough to leave the hospital."

"That's… Not required. You should just go—"

"It's fine Midorimacchi… I could use some company after all that's happened," Kise said much to Midorima's surprise.

"Wha— No, you—"

"_It's fine._"

Midorima threw a disapproving look to Kise before he mumbled something about wanting to check his condition first before taking his leave.

"You know that doctor? Sounds like you're familiar with him…" Aomine asked curiously.

"He… He's a family doctor."

"Oh right— Anyway, are you sure you're okay? You still look quite pale… I couldn't imagine what you must have gone through when they kidnapped you and uh… Gosh, if only I could make it all up to you…"

"I don't get it. Why do you want make amends for me? You didn't do anything—" Kise asked puzzled.

"That's it! I didn't do _anything_. I… I practically saw the guys brought you in the container and I thought nothing of it. Actually, I didn't even know you were in it at first but I… I… You see… I've only just got this promotion at work two months ago which means more paperwork duty for me and I'm way behind on those things. We could have busted the group a couple of weeks earlier but we were delayed… Because I forgot to send in the paperwork for an approval on our operation to the headquarters and damn… If we have caught them sooner, you wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place!" Aomine said apologetically.

"… I see… Well, there's no need for you to feel bad. I'm still alive and well here."

"Uh, are you sure? You don't feel… Uh, defiled or anything? I'm surprised that you're taking this pretty lightly… I would have imagined that normal people could have been severely traumatised over this incident. Is that how models work?" Aomine asked curiously. "Ah, sorry, sorry. I'm talking nonsense. But seriously, if you ever need anything from me, just ask. I'm based at the station a few blocks from this hospital so feel free to drop in anytime if you need any help from me."

"How about you run out and grab me a drink? Oolong tea. Cold."

"Right! I'm on it! It's my treat too!" said Aomine excitedly as he rushed out to find the nearest vending machine.

As soon as Aomine was out of sight, Kise started to peel off the plaster over IV tube on his right hand and proceeded to disconnect himself from the drip. He mustered enough energy to get off the bed only to wobble a bit before he started to feel light headed and tried to grab hold of the curtain to stabilize himself. He was determined to leave the place before the police officer comes back when a throbbing headache hit him at that exact moment causing him to stumble and lose his footing.

Only he didn't hit the floor right away but was caught just in time by Aomine who had returned with his drink.

"Whoa— What are you trying to do? Do you need to go to the toilet?" he asked out of concern as he helped Kise get back on his feet.

Kise cursed his bad luck in his mind and was saddened with how pathetic his current condition is. No matter how much he tried to stand on his own, his legs kept giving way as if drained entirely of their strength. He could still feel a searing pain in his back which came from the previous night's activities, when those men forced themselves on him as they interrogated him. He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to block the memory of those men having their way with him for what felt like ages of torture. He was only snapped out of his dark thoughts when he heard his name being called out repeatedly by the police officer.

"Kise? Oi, Kise! Shit—" Aomine cursed aloud as he repeatedly pressed the emergency call button by the bedside until a flustered male nurse came in.

"Kise-kun? What is it? What happened?" the male nurse asked frantically.

"He's not feeling good. Is there anything you can do to make him feel better?" Aomine demanded.

The nurse barely paid any attention to Aomine as he helped Kise back onto his bed.

"Takaocchi…" mumbles Kise as he started to sulk.

"Just rest for a bit, will you?" the nurse spoke gently as he tucked Kise into his bed and patted his head lightly to reassure him that everything is going to turn out fine.

"Family nurse too?" Aomine teased Kise. "Damn, you're popular."

* * *

Kise woke up in cold sweat from a bad dream and was breathing heavily as he looked everywhere frantically at the unfamiliar environment around him. He could hear soft footsteps and a murmur of activity a short distance away before he remembered that he was still at the hospital. He could see a digital clock on the wall indicating that it was 05:07 in the morning and he started to take in deep breaths to calm himself down.

That was when he realized that the police officer from the day before was still by his side, seated on the same chair, sound asleep and snoring lightly. He squinted his eyes so he can have a better view of the police officer's name tag, "Aomine Daiki" it said. At least he finally knew who the police officer is since he had not bothered to ask for his name earlier on. While Kise wasn't happy with the idea of a police officer being this close to him, his presence alone was enough to make Kise feel safe for some odd reason. It was a comforting feeling and Kise soon found himself falling asleep again.

* * *

The next time around when Kise woke up, the buzz of activity going on around him was much louder than before and the ward seemed brighter since it was almost noon. He was still in one of the cubicles of the male patient ward and he slowly rose himself up as he started to think about what he should do next.

He was slightly relieved when he noticed that Aomine was no longer there which only meant that things are starting to look up for him. He made a mental note to himself that maybe, just maybe, he could put a good word on Aomine's efforts for saving him after all of this is over.

While he was plotting his escape, Aomine suddenly showed up with a couple of bento sets much to Kise's disappointment.

"Oh good, you're awake. Did you sleep well? You were totally knocked out! I heard the hospital food here is terrible so I bought this from a restaurant nearby. Their bento sets are pretty good," he grinned as he offered one of the bento sets to Kise. "I went home for a while just now to shower and informed the station that I'm taking an emergency leave for today."

"Aominecchi, do you always like to help out strangers?" Kise asked out of curiosity.

"What did you just call me? Ah— Right, I guess it comes with the job. You know, being a police officer and all. I had to help those who are in trouble."

"Are you expecting something in return?"

"Hell no! Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not giving you special treatment because you're a popular idol— If it was anyone else in your situation, I would be going all out to set things right for him too! You don't owe me anything! Don't feel that you are forced to show gratitude to me or something. Even if we don't see or talk to each other at all after this, I won't take it to heart. I just genuinely want to help you get back on track," said Aomine as he gobbled his food.

Kise wasn't exactly crazy about the food Aomine bought for him but he still finished it all anyway.

"I'm going to ask to be discharged after this. I'll take a taxi home, you don't have to do anything for me anymore."

"Are you sure? I can call the station to send over a police car to drive you home. Since you don't have anything with you from yesterday, how are you going to pay for the taxi?"

"I'll figure something out."

"But—" Aomine's words were interrupted by both the doctor and male nurse from the day before barging in all of a sudden.

"Time for a final check-up Kise-kun. You're free to go after this but make sure you carry this with you," the doctor said as he handed a golf ball to Kise. "Lucky item for today."

"Could you please wait outside Aomine-kun?" the nurse ordered.

"Can't I just stand on this side—"

"Outside Aomine-kun," the nurse growled this time.

Aomine glared back at the rude nurse and walked out in a huff.

After they were sure Aomine was finally out of the way, Midorima finally spoke up.

"Murasakibara-kun and Himuro-kun were here to get you last night but you were asleep and that police officer was here waiting on you. Since both of them are familiar faces to the police community, they left shortly to avoid attracting any unnecessary attention. I'll give them a call to pick you up after this since you're looking much better now."

"He's a bit too dedicated with his duties no?" said a disgruntled Takao as he glanced at an anxious Aomine through the opening between the curtains.

"He doesn't seem to know anything so we're all good here," said Kise.

Both Midorima and Takao nodded their heads in agreement before they excused themselves.

"Someone is coming to get Kise-kun very soon so you're free to go Aomine-kun," said Takao with a fake smile.

"Don't mind me. I'll wait with him at the exit," Aomine replied.

Takao rolled his eyes and shook his head sadly at Kise's direction.

* * *

"Honestly Aomine-kun, you have done enough. You can go now," Kise pleaded.

They were both seated on a sofa close to the main entrance where they have a good view of the cars going in and out at the main drop-off point.

"Don't worry about me. I just want to make sure that you're in good hands after this."

"You're not a stalker fan or something are you?" Kise asked suspiciously.

"What? There's no such thing! I only knew about your very existence yesterday! I don't exactly follow the entertainment industry so I'm completely clueless on those sort of things. I'm sorry if you don't like my company at all but I'm honestly _worried_ about you. You don't seem to be affected by all this at all! That doesn't seem normal to me and it _bothers_ me!"

Kise only gave a bored, blank stare at Aomine before he turned his attention back to the pick-up point.

"Midorimacchi said that they will pick me up half an hour ago… What's taking them so long? Maybe they didn't want to show themselves with Aomine next to me? Damn, I knew I should get rid of this persistent guy—" Kise thought to himself when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Sorry Kise-kun, phone call for you at reception," Takao said with a serious tone.

Kise straightened himself up as he followed Takao to the reception and was glad that Aomine wasn't on his trail this time.

"Hello?" Kise spoke into the receiver.

"Are you okay Ryouta?" said a firm voice.

"Hmm… Akashicchi— You know they can't break me easily," Kise said smiling into the receiver. "Is someone picking me up?"

"… That guy with you… The police officer. He's the new Assistant Police Inspector. He's been calling the shots now in our turf…"

"Aominecchi? Seriously? I thought he was just some low-ranking police grunt. I guess you can't trust people based on their looks nowadays."

"You can say the same thing for yourself too Ryouta. By the way, those guys who did this to you have been taken care off as we speak."

"Awww, you didn't have to Akashicchi! I could have dealt with them myself after this. I was just a bit careless back then. Anyway, I don't think Aominecchi can see me from where he's sitting right now. If I sneak to the back right now and find an exit, you guys can pick me—"

"No Ryouta. No one is picking you up. I need you to do something for me…"

"What is it Akashicchi?"

"That police officer… Is a hindrance to our activities as of late… I foresee that it would be useful if we can have someone keep a close eye on him for us…"

"I see…"

"But only if you're willing—"

"I got this Akashicchi."

"—This time I'll have a couple of our people on the lookout for you. If it gets too dangerous, get out."

* * *

"Aominecchi?"

"Huh? Is everything okay? Who was that on the phone?"

"My agency… They're telling me to keep a low profile in the meantime… Suddenly, I'm not sure if I want to go back to my place on my own…"

"Huh? You mean?"

"You were wrong when you said that I wasn't affected over what just happened. I'm just really good with keeping a straight face… Umm… Were you serious yesterday when you told me that I can ask you for anything?"

"I don't throw around empty promises as I like Kise! When I said that I'll take responsibility I really meant–"

"Good. Can you let me stay at your place for a while? I promise you that I won't be a bother."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note:

The story has quite a complicated plot so I'm starting to find it pretty challenging to write now… And I haven't even introduced all the characters yet! (╥_╥) I pretty much woke up one morning wanting to write the KNB characters as yakuza characters so there will be a lot of OOC-ness. I'm labelling this as an AU anyway. This story might drag on for a while since I'm still not sure on where I'm going with this but I'll be churning out pretty long chapters for each update. There will also be more dialogue since I suck with writing descriptions. Thank you for taking an interest in this story.

* * *

Kise was beginning to regret his decision to stay over at Aomine's place as soon as they arrived at an old, run-down building which would definitely not look out of place in a horror movie at first glance. It is a small, 3-floor residential building made out of wood and has no lift. It figures that Aomine's place would be on the 3rd floor nonetheless. As they walked in, they were greeted by a few weird-looking people, one of them looking like a drag queen, who appeared to be familiar with Aomine. Kise simply guessed that they could be the other tenants in this godforsaken building.

Kise has always had a happy childhood until his mom died suddenly when he was only eight years old. After that, he was placed under the care of Alexandra Garcia, a foreigner who had lived in Japan all her life since her parents were working as English teachers at one of the prestigious schools around Tokyo ever since they were a young married couple. He had a relaxed upbringing after that and started working as a model at age fourteen when he was scouted by a modelling agency during a movie outing with Alexandra in Shibuya. Kise was already wealthy to begin with and only took the job out of boredom. He still remained picky with the model assignments offered to him but he never really had to do much anyway since Alexandra will also act as his manager from time to time.

As Kise was too used to being in a sheltered life, it was Alexandra who had kept reminding him to be thankful with all the blessings in his life and to stop hanging on too much to the past when she saw how badly Kise took his mother's death at such a young age. Kise was trying hard to block out Alexandra's consistent nagging in his mind telling him to refrain from being rude to others less fortunate than him as he glanced at a nervous Aomine fidgeting with the lock on his door.

"I have to warn you that since I don't usually have visitors coming over, the place would be a complete mess… So just bear with me," he said nervously when he finally unlocked the door.

Kise had already braced himself for the worst when Aomine pushed the door open and despite seeing what Aomine meant by a 'mess', he didn't think it looked that bad. Kise is just as capable at making a similar mess in his own room if it weren't for the servants that he has cleaning up after him on a daily basis. After taking in the whole view of the place, he finally spoke up.

"Where's the bedroom?"

"You're already standing on it," replied Aomine in a defeated tone. "This room is all I can afford with my current pay check. Property prices are ridiculously high in Tokyo, especially in this part of the city. I only took this place due to its convenient location to get to my workplace… Just two train stops away. Oh, if you're wondering where the kitchen is, that small stove and the ancient oven underneath it over at that corner is already the kitchen. I would usually just eat on the floor… That's the bathroom—," he gestured around as he pointed out the relevant details to Kise.

Kise took a few steps forward to stand in the middle of the room, fascinated with the stark contrast of Aomine's life to his own.

"Wow. My bathroom is bigger than this—"

"Oh come on! I'm already feeling bad enough that I have nothing much to offer for you here! You know, if you change your mind now, I promise you that I won't get upset," Aomine mumbled. "I thought that when I finally got that work promotion, I could probably make some improvements to my current life but that ended up not being the case… I could barely earn enough for a decent living in Tokyo and still save some money to send back home—"

"You're not from Tokyo?"

"Not really. I grew up in the countryside. My dad is a farmer and mom just stays at home. She has this heart condition since she was young so it was a miracle that she could even have me in the first place— I'm basically the only child. But I grew up wanting to leave the countryside to live in the city… And be a cop since I thought that they looked really cool chasing bad guys. Now that I have achieved all that, I don't even know what to do anymore! Life is pretty stressful around here and I kind of miss the countryside," Aomine said nostalgically. "What about you Kise? Do you live alone too? Are your parents around?"

"My mom… Died when I was young. And dad… Is pretty useless," Kise replied in a cold manner. "I do have people looking after me though… But they're not around much anymore since I'm already capable of taking care of myself."

"Ah— Sorry to hear that! I didn't mean to pry into your private matters but you'll have to get used to me asking you a lot of questions now that you'll be staying with me for a while. I really think we should get to know each other—"

"Know your boundaries Aominecchi," said Kise with venom in his voice as he pushed a few items on the floor to one side so he can make some space for him to sit down.

Aomine was surprised to hear that last remark from Kise but he pretended that Kise's bad attitude wasn't bothering him at all as he started picking things up from the floor to clear his mess as much as possible.

* * *

Despite being uncomfortable with the way Kise carried himself around him, Aomine blamed Kise's foul mood on the state of his own place. How he wished he could afford a bigger place for himself. This is why he never brought girls back here, for fear that they will be turned off as soon as they saw this hellhole. He was tying up a couple of trash bags while Kise watched him silently making the situation he was in feel even more awkward.

"One more thing, I only have one futon. We can share just for tonight but just let me know if you have any other ideas. If I have some free time tomorrow, I'll go and buy another one for you."

"I did promise you that I won't be a bother Aominecchi… I'm cool with anything. But what makes you think you can fit another futon in this small space anyway?" Kise asked as he glanced around the room.

"Shit— You're right…" said Aomine as he scratched his head trying to think of another solution.

"I might not stay long anyway so I don't mind sharing just for a while," Kise said. "It's not like you're going to do any inappropriate things to me right?" he continued with a sly grin.

"Wha— No! I would _never_ do anything like that!"

"Really… _You don't want to?_"

"**NO!**"

Aomine was getting flustered with Kise poking fun at him when his phone buzzed. He groaned when he saw that it was Wakamatsu but he still answered it anyway.

"What now?"

"Aomine-kun! Something terrible just happened. I can't explain it over the phone. You need to come to the station for this," Wakamatsu said. "Sakurai is on his way to your place now to pick you up."

Aomine didn't ask any more questions after hearing how upset Wakamatsu was on the phone and scrambled around the room to look for his police badge and a jacket.

"I thought you had the day off Aominecchi?" a puzzled Kise asked.

"Sorry Kise— I don't know what's going on but it sounds urgent. I really need to get back to my workplace to find out what's happening. I'm sort of in charge now while my superiors are away on holiday—" Aomine apologised frantically. "You stay here— And don't open this door to strangers you hear me?"

"Sure—" Kise grinned as he waved Aomine goodbye from where he was sitting.

* * *

As soon as Aomine stepped outside the building, there was already a police car parked across the street with its driver waving at him to get in.

"Yo Sakurai! Thanks for getting me, what's going on?" Aomine asked the frail-looking driver with big, brown eyes who was shaking nervously and clutching the steering wheel tightly as if his entire life depended on it.

"Ah! I'm sorry! Change of plans now. We're heading towards the Tokyo Gate Bridge instead! Err… It's about the drug dealers from yesterday… Someone hijacked their transport an hour ago as they were about to be transferred to the precinct prison! The police is hot on their trail now sir!"

"What the hell?"

"Last I heard on the police radio is that they're heading towards the Tokyo Gate Bridge… Maybe they're trying to get out of the city… Wakamatsu-kun has already mobilized all our forces and now they're setting up roadblocks in all the places that we think they might try to get through!"

Aomine was left speechless as he stared out of the car window and started to worry if he should have asked Sakurai to turn back to his place so that he can grab Kise along in case the fugitives are going after him now that they are on the loose. They probably won't know where Aomine lives but how can he be sure of that when he had not even expected them to be able to escape from the police within 24 hours? He cursed underneath his breath wondering how the transport could be easily hijacked in broad daylight during rush hour. This was not looking good for him, especially when this is a case that he has been working hard on for the past month.

When they finally arrived at the scene, there was already a growing crowd of spectators gathered around the area. He spotted a couple of news vans, a couple of ambulances with their paramedics on stand-by and a number of police cars. Aomine breathed a sigh of relief as it was starting to look like the police had been able to capture the fugitives when he saw Wakamatsu yelling out orders to his underlings at a distance.

"Oi Wakamatsu! Did we catch them?"

"Huh? Ahh— About that…" Wakamatsu hesitated to say. "We're not sure yet. Their transport went off the bridge and into the water. We have divers down there now looking for it," he pointed to a gaping hole which was once a barrier at the side of the bridge.

"Shit. That's not good. Is any of our people involved? The driver?"

"They're both fine I guess. The driver is still badly shaken up from having been pulled out forcefully from his seat while waiting for his partner. The other guy was in the station when it happened, signing off the release sheet. By the time he walked out, he found the driver knocked out unconscious on the sidewalk and the transport gone."

"Damn…"

"Highly doubt there will be any survivors… No car would ever survive that plunge… Unless by some miracle, they were able to escape and swim up to safety… But we have people scanning the waters down there and so far, there aren't any signs of life," Wakamatsu said grimly.

"Guess it's an escape attempt gone terribly wrong— I'm still surprised that they still have outside contacts. I seriously thought that was all of them when we caught them yesterday," Sakurai cuts in with his timid voice.

Aomine changed his mind about going back to his place to check up on Kise. By now, he didn't think the fugitives were a threat anymore and thought that it was best that he hung around just to be sure that it is all over.

* * *

Kise was flipping through the pages of one of Aomine's gravure idol magazines, wondering why anyone would even be remotely interested in such things. Aside from the women's impressive racks, there was nothing else worth praising from the neck up. All the pictures looked the same too with well-endowed women dressed in skimpy outfits or tiny bikinis. They were also dripping wet for some strange reason. Either they had just gotten out of a swimming pool or they were posing as if they were trying to drink out of a bottle but failing hard at it as they spilled the water all over themselves. Kise was glad that he was on the higher end of the modelling industry and had no need to resort to such cheap acts to gain attention.

The next few magazines that he flipped through were no different and Kise threw them back into the pile where he found them in the first place. He wondered how Aomine could live without having a TV when he heard a loud knock on the door.

Aomine's warning crossed him mind but he still got up anyway to fling the door open without any hesitance.

"Kise-chin— We brought you snacks—" greeted Murasakibara as he held up a plastic bag filled with sweet goodies.

"Oh wow— I admire your loyalty to the group. This is some sacrifice you're making here— Living in a dump like this—" Himuro teased as he peeked his head into the room to get a better view of Kise's new home.

"Murasakicchi! Himurocchi! What are you both doing here?" Kise asked in both a surprised and excited tone.

"Akashi-sama didn't want a repeat of the previous night's incident. So he ordered us to be on the lookout for you. He's not proud about making you do this for the group but then again, some things are still necessary with everything that has been going on recently. Here— We brought along some stuff too. Alexandra packed these clothes for you… Here's a phone… Some spending money too. Highly doubt the police officer can afford you," smirks Himuro.

"Hmmph, I'm not even entirely sure on what I'm expected to do here. As far as I can see, Aominecchi is harmless so I don't understand why Akashicchi thinks he's a threat to us—"

"Aka-chin has the gift of foresight Kise-chin. You shouldn't doubt him so much. He knows what he's talking about. Consider this a change of scenery for yourself— You always look really bored back at the family residence anyway. Apologies for what happened with you a few nights back. That was totally unexpected... I wonder what their motive is—"

"That's because Atsushi was in such a rush to drop them into the bay— We could have at least asked them nicely before ending their lives don't you think?"

"Why is it suddenly my fault? Those guys can't talk anymore as soon as you showed up—"

"… When they held me captive, they asked me a lot of personal questions. Mostly about my parents... At first, I thought I had just been kidnapped by a bunch of crazy fans until one of them asked me if I knew who is currently in charge of the Teikou clan."

"Huh, they know that you're one of us?" Himuro asked curiously.

"Sounds like it. Damn, if the media gets word that I'm a gang member, there goes all my modelling contracts—" said Kise with a sarcastic laugh.

"This wasn't meant to be your life in the first place Kise-chin... The moment you were born, it was already made clear that you will never get involved with the group. Ever."

"It didn't matter to me whether I'm in or not. I just don't like seeing Akashicchi taking the entire burden on his own… When he is also partly doing this for my sake… Heh. It's not like I have anyone else apart from you guys in my life anyway. If you guys are going down, I'm coming with you..."

"The sad look doesn't suit you at all Kise-chin. Cheer up. Have a chocolate bar—" said Murasakibara as he rubbed a Kit Kat bar on Kise's face.

"Hahaha, that tickles Murasakicchi!" laughs Kise before he realized something. "Hey, is it alright for you guys to be here? Aominecchi might come back anytime soon!"

"We currently have eyes on Aomine-kun. Takao-kun is bored stiff sitting in the ambulance watching Aomine-kun and his squad desperately try to fish out one of their vehicles from the water," said Himuro. "So while he's occupied with that, how about we do something about this place to make it much more habitable for you? I swear if you catch some sort of sick disease in here, Aomine-kun's lifeless body will be floating on Tokyo Bay in no time—"

* * *

When Aomine came back to his room, he took a quick step back as he thought that he had entered the wrong room when he saw how flawlessly tidy the place is.

"Welcome home Aominecchi!" grinned Kise who had his hair pulled back with a hairband and was currently wearing a dark blue cooking apron. "I baked some cookies since I got bored of waiting for you to come back—"

"Huh? Wha— What did you do the place? Did you clean the whole place all by yourself? Is that a lava lamp?" he asked horrified.

"Hmmph— You were gone a long time you know and there was nothing else for me to do here since you told me to stay in. That's almost 7 hours! You might as well forget about taking the day off from work too. Did something happen at work?"

"Uh… Well, I guess… You might want to know too… We just pulled out the police vehicle with the drug dealers that we caught yesterday out of Tokyo Bay… It was a gruesome scene... None of them survived."

"That's too bad—" Kise mumbled obviously not interested with the details as he was currently humming a happy tune to himself while he fanned the cookies he had just baked to cool them down.

"You… Seem to be in a very good mood… Hey, wait… I thought I made it clear that you stay here while I was out! Did you go out and buy this stuff? Where did you get the money?"

"Oh right. A couple of people from my agency prepared a care package for my stay here. They just left a while back. Do you want to try one?" Kise asked Aomine who was curiously eyeing the cookies after a gruelling day outside.

"Uh, just one. I don't really like sweet stuff actually... I didn't even know that oven actually works. Good to see that it's finally been put to good use—"

Kise gave a wide grin when Aomine complimented the cookie he just ate and they both ended up finishing the whole tray for their dinner.

* * *

Aomine was reading the case report that Sakurai had just handed in with regards to the fugitives' botched escape attempt a week before.

"Tsk— Is there any way you could sugar-coat this a bit before I sign this off for headquarters Sakurai? There are still a couple of loose ends— Headquarters will demand a follow-up if they read this and I just want to shut this case once and for all—"

"Wha— I'm sorry! What do you want me to change Aomine-kun? I wrote everything down according to what happened… What do you mean by loose ends? Wasn't it just an accident that they all died?"

"Yes, they all died. But we never recovered any extra bodies… Shouldn't there be at least another person? The person who tried to help them escape?"

"You still think someone tried to help them escape Aomine-kun?" Wakamatsu interrupted.

"Shit. This is all getting too complicated. I hope you're here with the coroner's results Wakamatsu."

"Indeed— And it gets even weirder. It seems that they were already dead before they hit the water. Each of them died from a bullet in their head."

"Hmmph, I thought that was what it looked like when I saw their bodies— Don't need a coroner to tell me that," Aomine mumbled.

"All of them were still in their handcuffs in the back of the van. I get what you mean when you said that we may have another suspect on the loose," said Wakamatsu.

"Ahh— So you mean this isn't a fugitives escape attempt? That… That it was an assassination attempt instead?" Sakurai asked worryingly.

"Has to be the work of professionals… Daring ones too for attempting something like that right in front of our noses…" Wakamatsu added.

"Shorten the report Sakurai. Just say that they didn't survive the plunge in the water and refrain from mentioning the coroner's report," Aomine concluded. "In the meantime, start an investigation on who would want those people dead."

Sakurai nodded in agreement with the tasks given to him and excused himself from the room, leaving both Aomine and Wakamatsu alone.

"I wish I didn't take this promotion. Doing grunt work is way more fun. Thinking makes my head hurt," mumbled Aomine as he rubbed his head.

"Well— You have busted a lot of crimes since you started out in this area last year so the superiors are finally noticing…"

"This is just an excuse for them to make me chase after the big sharks— Haiii— I have a feeling I might die young from this job. If not from getting killed on the job, maybe a brain haemorrhage from having to go through all this paperwork!"

"Speaking of paperwork, I forgot to mention that the Chief Superintendent from headquarters is on his way here—"

"Wha? Chief Genta is coming to our station today? Why? Shit. When are they arriving?"

"Another hour I guess? Chill Aomine-kun. Imayoshi is working today and Hyuuga just started work after a long vacation in Europe— Let them deal with it since they rank higher than us anyway— Chief Genta is probably here with regards to the increasing gang activity going around in this area. I told Sakurai-kun to prepare a presentation so you can just sit back and let us handle this one—"

"Shit… I left my notebook at home… There's some stuff in there that might be useful for this meeting—" Aomine grumbled before he flipped open his phone to type a message to Kise.

* * *

Kise was studying the instructions on how to use the washing machine when Aomine's message came in.

"Is he making me run errands for him now? Who the hell does he think he is?" an annoyed Kise thought to himself as he read the message.

He finally decided that sending Aomine's notebook over to the station is less work than doing the laundry so he started rummaging through Aomine's stuff, finding the notebook in an instant. He was out the door within minutes and managed to catch the next train out without any problem. While in the train, he flipped through the notebook, studying its contents. Aomine's handwriting was horrible and it took a lot of effort on Kise's part to decipher his notes. He noticed that most of his notes were regarding the gang activities in the area but there was nothing in there that he didn't know about in the first place. Plus, most of Aomine's information was wrong.

"He's not fit for investigative work— He doesn't have the brains for it. Maybe he should just stick to tackling bad guys upon being ordered to," Kise grinned to himself. "Guess even Akashicchi can get it wrong sometimes."

He arrived at Aomine's station just in time to count 6 heavy-duty police cars come into the designated parking lot. He took slow steps to observe the current activity when he saw another luxurious-looking police car come in shortly after. While Kise did not recognize most of the people who had just arrived, he was quick to identify the overweight, middle-aged man wearing a uniform a few sizes too tight as Chief Takeuchi Genta, the Chief Superintendent who is based at the police headquarters and pretty much in command of the entire police force in Tokyo. He narrowed his eyes as he felt the urge to wipe out the tasteless smug on the man's face when his dark thoughts were interrupted by a man with straight, messy black hair and squinty eyes standing close to him.

"Well hello there— Can we help you?" the man asked with an amused smirk.

"Huh? Oh— Sorry, I'm here to look for Aominecchi? He left his notebook at home," Kise replied quickly wondering how he had not noticed the man come up this close to him earlier.

"Aomine-kun? Well you're definitely in the right place. Why don't you come inside?" he gestured at Kise to follow him.

"Uh, thanks officer-kun—"

"Imayoshi Shoichi. I'm the superintendent here, in charge of this station. I'm proud to say that Aomine-kun is one of my best officers if that means anything to you," he said.

"Really? Ah— That's good… He does seem to be fond of his job—" Kise replied politely before he caught sight of Aomine bickering with Wakamatsu over something.

"Kise! Thanks for bringing this in for me! You came just in time too!" Aomine sighed with relief. "All the big guns are here for another pointless meeting and I won't be able to contribute anything without this," he waved the notebook in front of Kise's face. "I owe you one. How about we check out that new restaurant we passed by the other day for dinner?"

"That sounds great Aominecchi! Hey, it seems that there is something interesting going on around here. Is there any chance I could hang around and see you work Aominecchi?"

"This is not a place for outsiders!" a loud voice boomed behind them.

Kise didn't even have to turn back and see who the voice belonged to.

"Right… I should take my leave now… See you later Aominecchi," Kise said quickly as he breezed past Chief Genta.

"Hey, young man— Wait!" the chief ordered.

Kise came to a halt and turned around to face the chief superintendent with his best model smile.

"Yes sir?"

"Ha— Have we met before?" he asked Kise with a curious expression.

"There's a billboard with my face on it in front of the police headquarters—" grins Kise as he left quickly leaving the chief superintendent dumbfounded while he tried to figure out what Kise meant by that remark.

"In case you are not aware chief… That guy is Kise Ryouta, a famous model—" remarks Aomine with a stupid grin on his face while Wakamatsu rolled his eyes beside him.

* * *

Aomine glanced nervously around the room as he stared at his superiors finger pointing and throwing hurtful statements across the table about how little his station had achieve in combating the rise of gang-related activities in the area.

"Didn't we give you guys a bigger spending budget to combat crime? What did you do with it?"

"The public and the media are throwing insults at our police force right now for wasting their tax money! Just yesterday, a memo from the prime minister came to the headquarters demanding an explanation on the rise of gang-related activities here! Explain yourself!"

"The elections is just around the corner and all the politicians are giving us an earful for our ineffectiveness to protect the citizens—"

"What are your current plans to put an end on the reign of both the Teikou and Rakuzan clan? Even if you could just take down one of them… We will be grateful—"

Aomine was starting to zone out from the meeting when he felt Wakamatsu elbow his side.

"What the—"

"The chief is talking to you—" he whispered aloud.

"Huh?" Aomine groaned before his eyes met Chief Genta's death stare.

"Are you the newly promoted one? Can you explain why there isn't any progress with curbing the gang-related activities in your area of jurisdiction? In fact, it seems to have gotten worse—"

"Err— We… We are still trying to gather as much information as we can with this so-called 'gang war' that is currently going on here— This is all very new to us too sir! The Teikou clan has been in decline for many years and we have not heard of any activity from them until early this year— With the Rakuzan clan, we have always been aware of their activities but they are a slick bunch… It's hard to order an arrest on them as we could never gather enough evidence to charge them on their wrong-doings… But they have always kept a low profile! Until… Until the Teikou clan started expanding their influence recently… Now they seem to be at each other's throats and the normal citizens are getting caught up in this! While we have always been familiar with the Rakuzan clan, it's the Teikou clan that is a complete mystery to us… Weren't these two clans pretty much the same thing a long time ago? Didn't they set their own boundaries a while back?" Aomine read out his notes nervously.

"Hmm…" the chief superintendent was deep in his own thoughts before he spoke again. "You young officers are completely worthless! Back during my time, we were not even afraid of these criminals! Hell, I single-handedly _almost_ got rid of the Teikou clan leader!" he gloated. "As far as I know, the Teikou clan has no leader since then and the clan was supposed to die a natural death! So tell me, does anybody have any idea on who is currently calling the shots for them now?"

This time Wakamatsu elbowed a fidgeting Sakurai who was seated next to him causing him to jump up and started apologising to everyone for no particular reason at all. After he regained his composure, he nervously directed everyone's attention to a slide presentation that he had prepared earlier on.

"Ah— I'm sorry everyone! Uh— I've been tasked to gather information on both these clans! And… And uh, this is all that we have! As we all know, the Teikou clan is the biggest clan in this area with its origins traced back to before the Second World War— It was at its prime under the leadership of Shirogane Kouzou more than 20 years ago before uh, he was shot by our chief superintendent, 15 years ago in an act of self-defence when the former attacked him in the famous Roppongi Hills incident at that time! While Kouzou wasn't killed in the incident, he has been in a coma ever since and is currently residing at the general hospital as we speak. The clan was thrown into chaos after that as they started to dispute over finding a suitable successor. Since Kouzou did not have any children, his younger brother who is also his right hand man, Shirogane Eiji, took over the helm but loyal supporters of Kouzou refused to hand in the reins as they still believed that Kouzou will wake up from his coma and lead them once again. This dispute divided the clan causing Eiji to break away from the clan with a number of followers and form the Rakuzan clan. Despite being a new clan, the Rakuzan clan rose to the ranks quickly under Eiji's leadership while the Teikou clan flailed due to the absence of a leader. Fast forward 15 years later, which is… Now. The Rakuzan clan is still thriving despite Eiji's retirement a couple of years back. Their current leader is Nijimura Shuuzou, Eiji's adopted son, who is doing very well as the clan's successor. Of course, part of the success could also be credited to having an equally capable right hand man, Kagami Taiga, who had been a member of the clan from a very young age. The Teikou clan was thought to be extinct as most of them joined the Rakuzan clan leaving behind only a small number of Kouzou's loyal followers who are now mostly too old or already dead. Ever since we started to hear about the revival of the Teikou clan, I have ordered our people to go into the streets and gather information on their activities… We still don't have much but… We have identified this guy… Koganei Shinji… As the new leader of the Teikou clan. He happens to be the son of a distant relative of Kouzou—" said Sakurai in a serious tone as he brought up a picture of what looked like a comic character with spiky, dark brown hair and a strange mouth on the giant screen.

"Hah? This guy looks stupid. Are you sure you have this information right Sakurai?" asked a dumbfounded Aomine as he stared at the picture of Koganei.

"But— But this is what we've managed to find out after a number of extensive investigations into the recent activities involving the Teikou clan! The word going around the streets is that this guy is definitely in charge! He is even making public appearances on behalf of the clan!" Sakurai insisted.

"I actually would agree with Aomine-kun this time. The guy does look stupid. I highly doubt he is the one calling the shots for the clan. Even if he is indeed the new leader, maybe his right hand man is the one doing all the heavy lifting— Do we know who is the right hand man Sakurai?" Wakamatsu said.

"Ahh— No, we don't. As far as our investigations go, it ends right there," he gestured back sheepishly at Koganei's picture.

"Sakurai… You may have to redo this whole investigation…" said Hyuuga Junpei, Aomine's superior. "I have a source telling me that this guy… Koganei… Is only a mere distraction. That he was only placed in that position so that the ones who are really calling the shots could carry on with their work unnoticed. Even if we get rid of this guy, the clan will still thrive…"

"And this source of yours is who?" Wakamatsu asked curiously.

"A talkative gang member we've caught recently from the Rakuzan clan. It seems that even the Rakuzan clan is aware with the change of tides and a large number of their own followers had already left them to join the Teikou clan..."

"What are they fighting over again?" Aomine asked.

"Complete control of this territory just like in the old times when they used to be one. The Teikou clan has already issued an ultimatum a few months ago that the Rakuzan clan should surrender and be absorbed back into the Teikou clan," said Imayoshi. "But the Rakuzan clan is resisting them due to their different ideas… And it has been almost fifteen years since they broke up... They are now practically two different entities so the Teikou clan has no right to tell them what they should do."

"Sounds like the Teikou clan really means business— For an almost non-existent group to issue such an ultimatum to an already established group… That takes a lot of guts…" said an impressed Wakamatsu.

"So rather than speculating, what else are you guys doing to put an end to all this?" exclaims a furious Chief Genta.

"We could… Start with the Rakuzan clan. They probably know more about the Teikou clan than we do… If they're willing to cooperate with us, we could probably stop the Teikou clan from expanding their influence any further. I'd rather get a headache from one clan rather than two—" said Aomine without giving a serious thought to his statement.

"Hey, how sure are you guys that the previous leader of the Teikou clan did not have a child? I seem to recall my parents reminiscing about a grand yakuza wedding back in the old days. Back when the Teikou clan wasn't always such a pain— I heard that Kouzou was married to the daughter of a wealthy politician!" said Wakamatsu.

"Ah right—I recalled that too!" Sakurai exclaimed excitedly. "My parents have spoken of it to me as a kid! But it was more of a sad story... Wasn't it an arranged marriage? That Kouzou only married the politician's daughter to gain more wealth and influence? I heard that she became mentally ill shortly after their marriage since she couldn't handle the pressure from being a yakuza's wife… Then I also heard that when she was 7 months pregnant with Kouzou's first child, she stabbed herself in the stomach repeatedly until she died of severe bleeding exactly a year after their wedding—"

"What happened to the child she was carrying? Did he die too?" Aomine asked now curious with where the story is going.

"Huh? No, I'm not sure of that. I only knew that there was a huge funeral for the wife… But surely nothing could survive such an event right?" said Sakurai innocently.


	3. Chapter 3

"It has become this bad huh? With only the three of us left to discuss the future of the clan… At a fast-food restaurant too out of all places—" sighs Nijimura Shuuzou, the current head of the Rakuzan clan, a tall and handsome young man with short black hair combed neatly to the left side.

"I can't seem to reach Hanamiya and Haizaki called in sick… As usual. Although when he told me that over the phone I was able to make out the sound of loud background music from that hostess bar in Roppongi— Haiii— Anyway, we don't need many people for this meeting. Both of you should decide now on how to handle the Teikou clan and I'll pass the orders down the chain of command," said Moriyama Yoshitaka, an average-looking ladies man with short black hair who is currently in charge of the Rakuzan clan's finance and administration. "Also, it is important for us to be stringent with our finances now that the Teikou clan has cut off almost half of our sources for revenue. We still have salaries to pay, investments to make and even bills to pay off. Oh, could you also please remind Haizaki to stop charging his drinking bills onto our account? If I could refrain myself from fooling around with the ladies at a crucial time like this, he should to."

"Sounds fair to me. This isn't such a bad place too— The burgers here are amazing!" exclaims Kagami Taiga, Nijimura's right hand man, a tall and muscular young man with a commanding presence, short, spiky dark red hair and red eyes.

"Uggghh— This is too much for me to handle. I never realized how much work Midorima has done for us this whole time… Since he left us a year ago to join the Teikou clan, the workload isn't getting any less! Damn that traitor!"

"That's a bit harsh to call him a traitor Nijmura-sama— He only left us because his horoscope for this year requires him to explore other work opportunities. It's quite unfortunate that Takao ended up leaving us to go with him too. He usually looks after our finances while I concentrate on the administrative duties but now that he's gone, I have to do both. It's too bad that the two of you are too stupid to help me with this. We're seriously running low on staff," said Moriyama in a serious tone.

"I still go out for drinks with Takao— It's not such a big deal that we're both on opposite sides now," said Kagami as he finished his 6th hamburger. "How is it looking for us now?"

"Other than the reduced revenue? Within this year, we went from about 20,000 followers to roughly 13,000 followers. And we're still losing people… I'm not even sure if we can even trust the ones who are currently with us. The word going around is that our followers think we're not much different from the Teikou clan so it doesn't matter which side they're on—"

"Geez! Whatever happened to family loyalty? Damn these fickle guys— It figures that they would easily abandon ship as soon as they saw trouble brewing. If anybody else wants to leave, I couldn't care less anymore!" said an annoyed Nijimura.

"The Teikou clan may have the upper hand for having both Midorima with Takao with them now… But I don't think we're doing that bad either. For starters, their leader has still not revealed himself for unknown reasons. We might be able to use that as an advantage—" Moriyama suggested.

"Huh? What do you mean? Wasn't there a guy who is making public appearances in our turf and telling our followers that our reign is ending so they should consider joining his clan? His name is Koganei Shinji," said a bewildered Kagami.

"He… Looks stupid. There is no way Midorima would work for someone like that… He only takes orders from people he has a high level of respect for…" Moriyama replied.

"You're saying than Midorima thinks I'm a lesser being than the current Teikou boss?" said Nijimura annoyed.

"No. What I meant is that the person pulling the strings at the moment will have to be as good as you. Or just slightly better."

"If he's that good, why is he in hiding? Doesn't that just confirm that he's a weakling?" said Kagami with his mouth stuffed with his 8th hamburger.

"I… Still don't have an answer to that…" said Moriyama. "Maybe it's about time that we pay a visit to the previous clan leader, Eiji-sama. He might be able to give us some advice."

"That's impossible. When he retired 2 years ago, he dumped everything on me and cut off all ties with the clan that he founded in the first place. He made it clear that he wants to have nothing to do with us anymore. That he wants to go far away where he can live a life of solitude and repent for his past sins— He may be my adopted father but even I have no idea where he is right now. He just packed up and left without even saying goodbye…" Nijimura said sadly. "It'll be embarrassing for me to show up in front of him now and tell him that the clan is falling apart under my watch…"

"That's not going to be a problem Nijimura-sama. Since I've just found out where he is now…" said Moriyama in a low, serious tone.

"Wha—?" exclaims a shocked Nijimura.

"Damn… That's just amazing—" whistled Kagami, impressed with Moriyama's revelation.

"Hmph. Midorima and Takao aren't the only great minds around here. You guys should have more faith in me! Anyway, I plan that we leave early tomorrow morning to find him. So I'm calling this meeting off now. I still have to run to the developer's office after this to tell them that we need to delay the construction project for another week since we still have not gotten all the land deeds for that location… I'm looking at you now Kagami-kun— This was supposed to be your job! Have you not gotten that last land deed yet? I had to ask Haizaki yesterday to deal with the problem so we could get this all done with as soon as we can! We need the money!"

"Wait, no! You told Haizaki? I told you I'll take care of this myself—"

"Then do it quickly," said Nijimura as he glared at Kagami.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Kagami arrived at the neighbourhood that his clan has had their eyes on. The place was just on the outskirts of Roppongi, a developed district with an active nightlife. Compared with the high-rise buildings littered around the Roppongi district, this neighbourhood stuck out like a sore thumb and gave the impression that it was stuck in a time capsule, looking old and haggard with nothing much to offer. For a good number of years, the Rakuzan clan has been heavily involved in property development as a major source of income. They have already been in talks with developers to demolish this neighbourhood and build a high-rise building similar to the Mori Tower, an older mega-complex in the heart of Roppongi Hills which has everything from offices, residences, entertainment and shopping conveniently placed under one roof.

Their clan could get a lot of money out of this project with the only problem being that they don't own the rights to the neighbourhood in the first place. But that was something they are used to deal with. They have been successful in vacating most of the remaining residents in the neighbourhood by relocating them elsewhere with a good amount of money as compensation. If that didn't work, they'll just go with the old trick in the book, harassment. They will make the lives of any residents that refuse to take their offer a living hell until they finally succumb to the pressure and leave by themselves. Fortunately, they had no need for such dirty tactics in this case since most of the residents there were extremely keen to get out anyway as they could no longer keep up with the rising costs of living there. But one particular person, the owner of a nursery school right in the heart of the neighbourhood, was the only exception.

As he stood in front of the nursery school, he noticed something different from when he was here a couple of days back. This time, the front exterior of the nursery school was splashed with bright red paint with the words "GET OUT" in black, sprayed all over it.

"This soooo screams Haizaki all over it," Kagami thought to himself.

"The kids who used to come here can paint much better than your friends Kagami-kun," said a soft voice that came out of nowhere.

"Wha— What the hell? Can you stop doing that? You almost gave me a heart attack! If I die here, the clan will come after your head! Where did you come from?" Kagami yelled at the smaller pale figure with light blue hair and an icy, blank gaze.

"I was sweeping away the trash that your friends dumped in front of my school just over there when you arrived," he pointed to a spot just a short distance away. "Didn't you see me?"

"No— I didn't— Hey, has anybody ever told you that you'll make a great spy or an excellent silent assassin? We could use someone like that in our group! We're currently running low on staff at the moment so we could use all the help that we can get!" said Kagami excitedly.

"I have no interest for such things Kagami-kun… May I know why you're here again? Didn't I make it clear to you that I'm not selling this place?"

"But… Think about it! This place is already deserted! You're the only one left here! You don't live here too! Why do you still come to work at a nursery school that has no more students?" asked Kagami.

"… I inherited this school from my grandmother a few years ago. We never had any problems until you guys came into the neighbourhood. If you guys leave, I'm sure the students will come back…"

"Hah! That will never happen Kuroko! Look around you! There's nothing left here! Just… Just take the deal from us. It's not like we're taking this place without offering you something in return! We're giving you some compensation money! We will even give you another plot of land in exchange if you want to… Of course that land would be far away from here and of little value… But at least there's something for you! How… How about if I throw in another new deal? Especially for you— When the multi-complex is completed, I'll make sure that you will get a small floor space! Just enough for you to set up a child day care centre or whatever it is that you like to do!" Kagami pleaded.

"What if I still refuse to sell?"

"Then… Then I can't help you anymore. One of our grunts has already been tasked to deal with you… He… He won't negotiate with you like this. He might even hurt you," Kagami said in a grave voice.

"Oiii Tetsu!"

Kagami turned to the voice that called out to Kuroko and he flinched when he saw a police officer strolling towards them with a very attractive blonde right next to him.

"Aomine-kun— What brings you here?"

"Ehhh… I finished work a bit earlier today— We had a big meeting this morning and then they carried on with another meeting but I wasn't included. So I'm taking a friend out now for an early dinner… Only that we took the wrong bus and ended up in the middle of nowhere. But when we got off, Kise said that he was familiar with the area and knows a short cut to get to the restaurant that we wanted to try out. It just so happened that we will have to pass in front of your school first!" Aomine replied as he eyed Kagami suspiciously. "Hey Tetsu, why is a gang member here? Is he bothering you?" he continued with a growl.

"Keep that up and I'm making a police report about you harassing me," Kagami snapped back.

"Why you—"

"I'm fine Aomine-kun. We were just talking…" Kuroko said. "By the way, who's your friend here? He looks very familiar," he asked curiously.

"Oh right, this is Kise. He's currently staying at my place! Uh, just for a while though," Aomine replied. "Kise, this is Kuroko Tetsuya by the way. He's a friend of a friend."

"Kise… Ryouta? Are you the one in that Häagen-Dazs ice-cream commercial?" Kagami interrupted instead. "Oh wow— Your face is pretty much everywhere now too. And you look so much better in person—"

"Hehe. Thanks— I'm still not used to getting recognized and being stopped by people wherever I go."

"Kagami Taiga. I'm a… Businessman. I highly doubt people will be stopping you now as long as you have this scary-looking guy right next to you."

"What the fu—"

"Can I have an autograph?" Kagami interrupted Aomine once more.

"You're very funny Kagami-kun— Sure, just give me something to sign on," said Kise politely as he watched Kagami dig into both his pockets for a pen and paper.

Kuroko ended up bringing out a pen and paper from the nursery school since Kagami couldn't find anything in his pockets and Kise had a good laugh answering Kagami's questions about his modelling work.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you. And you too, Kuroko-kun," Kise bowed to them. "But I think we should go—"

"Kise, I need to talk to Tetsu for a bit," said Aomine in a serious tone as he glared at Kagami.

"Huh? Oh… Right, I see… Umm, there's an abandoned playground just two blocks ahead. I'll wait for you there," Kise said.

"Wait Kise! Why don't you just stay—" he tried calling out to Kise who has already walked on ahead as if he didn't hear Aomine at all.

* * *

"Hmm… So that's Kagami Taiga... He does have a strong, menacing aura… Midorimacchi and Takaocchi weren't kidding when they said that he will be a force to reckon with—" Kise thought to himself as he made his way to the playground. "I wonder how Akashicchi plans to take them on… Nijimura can't be taken lightly too… Considering that he held the position as the Rakuzan clan leader at such a young age… I really hope we can avoid any unnecessary bloodshed... If only they would just take the offer to join us. Kagami is a much better right hand man material than I am… Once all of this is over, he could fill in my spot since I don't plan to be actively involved with the clan…"

As he stepped into the abandoned playground, he saw that the place has not changed much from the time when he was a child growing up at a house nearby. At one corner, there was a huge tree that looked like it didn't belong there but it still looked as majestic as last time. He turned his attention to the old broken swings when he noticed that there was already someone else there. He could only see the back of the person but Kise didn't have to think long to guess who it was.

"Alexcchi!" Kise called out excitedly out as he ran towards the taller, bespectacled woman who currently has her long blonde hair tied into a tight ponytail.

When he got closer to the woman, he slowed down and shut his mouth when he saw that Alexandra was offering a silent prayer at a small tribute spot right next to the old swings.

As soon as Alexandra was finished with her silent offering, she placed a small bouquet of flowers on the spot before she turned to look at Kise and smiled.

"Ryou-chan! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I happened to be passing by. But I'm not alone though. I'm with that police officer—"

"I'm sooooo glad that you're looking really well! I guess I have been worried sick for nothing this whole time!" said Alexandra as she hugged Kise tightly against her well-endowed chest.

"Hahaha— I guess it wasn't so bad living with Aominecchi. But there really isn't much progress on my side and I'm starting to feel pretty useless… Or Akashicchi just gave me the wrong assignment. Oh, are you here to leave another offering?"

"This could be the last time. These neighbourhood is getting demolished to make way for a development project…" she said sadly as she stared at the tribute spot.

"Why do you still keep coming back here when this place reminds you of a painful memory Alexcchi?"

"I have a good memory here too! Didn't we first meet here?" she grinned trying to change the topic when she saw the slight change in Kise's mood.

"It's just all kinds of wrong to say that meeting me was a good thing… If… If you have never met me… Your little brother would still be alive…"

"Ryou-chan! Don't start now! What did I tell you about letting go of the past? There's nothing that you could have done differently back then that would have prevented all this! You were only a child! I have already moved on and you should—"

"Kise?" Aomine called out surprising both Kise and Alexandra.

"Aominecchi! Did you finish your talk with your friend?"

"Yeah I did… Who's this?" Aomine asked.

"This is Alexandra Garcia! She took care of me after my mom died! Oh, she's also my manager," Kise replied.

"Aomine-kun— Nice to meet you. I'm just about to go so I'll leave you two on your date—"

"We're not on a date Alexcchi!" yelled Kise as he blushed deeply thinking of what Alexandra had meant by that statement.

Alexandra only gave a hearty laugh as she waved them goodbye and disappeared in the opposite direction.

"Wow. Those are some massive boobs—" Aomine commented in awe.

"That's disgusting Aominecchi!" Kise yelled at him.

"Ah— Sorry, sorry. Should we make a move now? Hey, what's this?" Aomine asked curiously when he spotted the small makeshift tribute spot by the swings.

"It's an old tribute spot… Alexcchi's little brother died here 15 years ago…"

"Wha— What happened? Was there an accident?"

"I… I don't want to talk about it," Kise replied glumly as he sat on a swing that was still intact while Aomine tried to figure out what he had just said wrong to have caused Kise's drastic mood change. "Aominecchi… I don't have any appetite for dinner right now. Why don't you go on ahead without me?"

"But Kise—"

"I just want to be alone Aominecchi," he mumbled as he stared at the ground with a sad expression. "Please go."

* * *

"And— That was he said. **_Go._** Like what the hell does he mean by that? Hic— I don't even know what I did to make him that upset! Why does he hate me so much? Arrgghh—" Aomine complained to the beautiful, busty pink-haired hostess working at the bar who was amused to see her childhood friend get upset over another person.

"Why don't you just go home now and talk to him about it?" the girl said.

"But—"

"Momoi-san, could you go to the private booth at the back? The customer wants you to drink with him," a colleague of Momoi interrupted them.

"Ehhh… Not him again… Please give me a moment. Just tell him that I need to freshen myself up first."

"Again? What do you mean by _again_? Is a customer causing you trouble Satsuki?"

"They're _all_ trouble. But I guess that comes with the job... I still can't believe that we both left the countryside together to try out the city life and you turned out better than me! You have a well-respected job while I'm just some lowly bar hostess."

"Which is why you should never give up with looking for a decent job!"

"But it's so difficult to get hired these days with the bad economy and all— To be fair, this job isn't half-bad. My hours are pretty flexible and the tips are pretty good. I think I earn more than you too!" Momoi grinned at Aomine.

"Just… Just find another job. Hey, ignore the customer that just asked for you. Drink with me instead!" said Aomine.

"I can't Dai-chan. That customer made a special request for _me_. Unless you're going to order more drinks from me since I work by a commission basis."

"I'm on a tight budget Satsuki."

"Then you only have me for another minute."

"Can't you just stay here with me and hear me out? It has been a long time since we hung out together. Back when we were kids, we always do everything together!"

"I wish I could Dai-chan but this customer is not just any ordinary person. He has quite a temper and he might get mad if I refuse him. What if he comes after you—"

"Then let him come at me. I'll just arrest him on the spot."

"He's a yakuza! He'll _kill_ you on the spot!"

"Fits the rowdy profile. Which group?"

"Rakuzan… I don't think he's just a mere follower of that clan. He's always boasting to me about how he's often with the higher ranking members so he must account to something. Uh, I think his name is Haizaki Shougo—"

"I still don't like the idea of him getting close to you Satsuki—"

"But he's so persistent! Although he does tip me very well… Oh, aren't you working a big case on them? Maybe I can find something out for you. It doesn't take much to get him really drunk since he can't handle his alcohol very well. When he drinks, he talks about anything and everything—" Momoi winks at Aomine.

"You want me to risk your safety to get some information for me? What if it's just useless drunken tales? I can't—"

"Here's something… How about I tell you that they have finally found their previous leader's hideout?"

"What? They know where Shirogane Eiji is? Even we don't have that kind of information! He's still a wanted man! Just because he's retired doesn't mean his criminal record gets erased like that! If I can catch him, I'll have a bright future like Chief Genta! He climbed up the ranks really quick since he was responsible with taking down the previous leader of the Teikou clan!"

"Ahh— Unfortunately, that's all I know. Haizaki only mentioned that he will be accompanying his superiors early tomorrow morning… But he didn't say where… If I go entertain him now, maybe I'll find out something useful by the end of the night!"

"Damn… Uh—"

"You'll be an idiot to pass off a great lead like this," Momoi cooed knowing that Aomine would never resist such an offer.

* * *

It was already past midnight by the time Aomine arrived home. When he entered the room, he noticed that Kise was already fast asleep on the futon. After a quick bath, he quietly attempt to snuggle into the futon without waking Kise up. There was definitely enough room for both of them on the futon so Kise had no complaints about sharing it with Aomine.

As he stared at Kise's sleeping face, he noticed that Kise had been crying. Aomine wondered if Kise had cried himself to sleep and the thought was enough to tug his heartstrings. He touched Kise's face gently to wipe off the remaining tears and started to feel bad about leaving Kise on his own. Maybe he should have stubbornly insisted that he stay with Kise and listen to his problems. He regretted complaining to Momoi about the hard time Kise was giving him when Kise must have felt just as miserable. Aomine made a mental note to himself to be more understanding with regards to Kise's situation.

He has this nagging feeling that Kise isn't really who he says he is and that he seems to be hiding a lot of things from Aomine. He guessed that Kise could probably just have trust issues since he meets all sorts of people in his line of work. They are only entering their second week together so he might have expected too much out of Kise. Aomine felt really bad that out of a lot of people that he has helped, he still couldn't seem to get it right with Kise. Aomine wondered if Kise has still not gotten over what happened to him back at the warehouse and he snuggled closer to Kise until he fell asleep listening to Kise's soft breathing.

* * *

The sun has barely risen completely and already the top level of the Rakuzan clan were gathered outside the train station after an early breakfast at the nearby 24-hour Maji Burger fast-food restaurant.

"Still the three of us?" Kagami asked in a disappointed tone as he looked around to see if anyone else is coming. "Oh wait, I see Hanamiya…" he said as he looked at the arrogant man with thick, shoulder-length black hair and noticeably thick eyebrows walking leisurely towards them.

"Hey— I'm sorry but I won't be able to join you guys since I have something else to take care off today. But at least I'm here to see you guys off unlike a certain other person—"

"That damn Haizaki can't make it because he still has a terrible hangover from drinking too much at the bar last night!" Nijimura muttered angrily under his breath.

"I think you punching him in the stomach this morning was the main reason he couldn't make this trip—" replied Moriyama nonchalantly.

"Heh. Anyway, do you guys think you will get anything useful out of Eiji-sama?" Hanamiya asked.

"It's a risk that we're willing to take since we don't know anything at all about who is making the decisions for the Teikou clan. I would like to put a face on our enemy. Once we figure out who we're dealing with, we could come up with a plan to tackle them. I still can't recall anyone in my head from that clan who would be able to pull off something like this. It has to be a face that we've never seen before," Moriyama said in a serious tone.

"Midorima and Takao didn't say anything?" Hanamiya asked again.

"They're both tight-lipped when I asked them. It seems that the success of their plan depends on keeping their leader unknown to the masses. They did say that they have nothing against us though."

"Those traitors… The last time I saw them was when they showed up at our place with their leader's ultimatum. Isn't the deadline today? Are we going to do anything about it?" said Hanamiya.

"Ah— I almost forgot. Was that supposed to be today? Heh. I'm not surrendering our power to them. We still have a fighting chance so there is no need to take their threat seriously. They'll have to come face to face with us if they still want to take us down!" said Nijimura angrily.

"I see… Then I guess it's a good thing that I'm not going with you guys to Kyoto then. If something happens here in Tokyo, I'll do my best to take care of it with Haizaki until you guys come back…"

"Do you think they're going to try something since we're ignoring their threat?" Kagami asked.

"Honestly… I don't know. There have been a few fights and disputes between the followers of both our clans but they are isolated incidents. We can't control the actions of all our followers so maybe a bad apple or two has been stirring up trouble. But it's still not serious enough to warrant our concern. If anything, it doesn't make sense for them to want to hurt us if they also want us to join them at the same time…" said Moriyama.

"Uh— My head hurts thinking about all these things— So train first and then a taxi when we get to Kyoto? Couldn't you have arranged a limousine for us or something? Eiji-sama is going to be disappointed to see how far we've fallen from grace—" Nijimura muttered nervously.

"I managed to get us the cheapest fare for the Shinkansen to Kyoto but the timing isn't very good. Which is why we have to be up this early. We should get there in a couple of hours and from there, we can rent a car to drive ourselves. Kagami has a driving license… Taxis in Kyoto are just too expensive—" replied Moriyama.

"You guys are insane. I'm actually glad that I didn't have to come along so best of luck guys— Keep me in the loop will you?" said Hanamiya as he waved them goodbye when it was almost time for them to get to their train platform.

* * *

"Hnn— Aominecchi? You're up early," mumbled Kise as he rubbed his eyes when he was awoken by Aomine getting dressed for work.

"Kise? Damn, I didn't mean to wake you up. You should go back to sleep…"

"Anything interesting going on at work today? Since it's quite rare for me to see you up this early getting ready for work…"

"Today is the last day for the Rakuzan clan to make up their mind about joining the Teikou clan. The police everywhere are on high alert now in case something bad happens. I highly doubt the Rakuzan clan is taking this matter seriously since their higher ranks will not even be in Tokyo today."

"Why would they not be in Tokyo right now?"

"They left to find their previous boss."

"Previous… You mean Shirogane Eiji? Didn't he go into hiding after his retirement 2 years ago?"

"Yes he did… Not even anyone from the Rakuzan clan knew where he disappeared to. Until yesterday… A reliable source said that they are heading to Eiji's hideout this morning. It just sucks that I only have a vague location."

"Where is he hiding?"

"Kyoto."

* * *

Kise watched Aomine leave the building in a hurry from their window on the 3rd floor. As soon as he was sure that Aomine is completely out of sight, he picked up his phone to make an urgent call.

"Ryouta? Is everything okay?"

"Akashicchi! The Rakuzan guys has found Eiji-sama! Aominecchi just told me that he's in Kyoto! I still don't have an exact location unfortunately... But it's a start. Our people were trying to track him down overseas and at his remaining relatives' place in Hiroshima when he hasn't even gone that far in the first place!" he said all flustered. "They are going to see him this morning! Eiji-sama knows about us! Should we do something about it now?"

"Calm down Ryouta. Even if Shuuzou and Taiga knows who we are… What makes you think that it will make any difference? We're both well-known public figures which is why it makes sense to keep our identities hidden… Don't worry Ryouta. When they find out who we are, I will reason with them."

"But—"

"Our real problem is when the police force finds out who we really are—"

"Damn…"

"Which is why I still need you to stay close to Daiki since his team is currently working hard to connect the dots… If there is any sign that they are starting to get close to finding out our true identities, then I want you to leave as soon as you can—"

"I… I understand Akashicchi."

* * *

Aomine was in a good mood despite the hectic atmosphere at the police station that morning. His first stop was the superintendent's office as he wanted to get his opinion first on the piece of information that he has obtained from Momoi. The police force has pretty much given up with the search for Shirogane Eiji as they started to turn their attention on the new development of the turf wars. Maybe they can restart the operation to find the previous Rakuzan clan leader and finally put him behind bars once and for all.

After knocking on Imayoshi's door, he went in and saw that Hyuuga was already there with him.

"What is it Aomine-kun?" Imayoshi asked.

"Uh… I just recently received some information regarding Shirogane Eiji's whereabouts… And I thought that I should inform you first—" Aomine said nervously as both his superiors stared at him.

"Kyoto?" Hyuuga broke the awkward silence.

"Huh? Wha— How— You guys knew too?" Aomine asked surprised.

"Only not long before you came through that door. We will be heading to headquarters now to discuss with Chief Genta regarding this new information. If we can get a quick approval to set up an operation, we could probably finally nab him."

"But how do you plan to search all of Kyoto? Couldn't this wait another day? Everyone here is nervous thinking about how Rakuzan is going to answer to Teikou. What if a huge fight between them breaks out today?"

"Nabbing Eiji is our top priority now. Since we already have an exact location, all we need is a special ops team to carry out a swift operation," said Hyuuga.

"Exact location— You knew that too? Wow," said Aomine impressed and disappointed at the same time that he wasn't able to offer anything better than that.

"Aomine-kun… How is the investigation on the drug bust from last time going on for you?" Imayoshi asked changing the topic.

"The drug bust? Isn't it a closed case now? We… We're not looking into it anymore," said a puzzled Aomine.

"Not the drug bust itself. I was referring more to the hostage situation," said Imayoshi.

"Hostage? Wait… That wasn't included in the report. Both of you were on leave when it happened… How did you guys know?"

"Pfft— The hostage is a well-known public figure so I'm sure your underlings who were involved in that case are talking non-stop about it. Anyway, do you know why he was taken by those drug dealers?" Hyuuga asked.

"No… Not really. But we think that he was kidnapped for ransom money," Aomine replied.

"Did his agency receive a call asking for ransom money?" Imayoshi asked.

"Damn… No, I never thought of that. Nobody reported him to be missing too… We didn't really look into his case in detail since the hostage didn't want us to take any further action," said Aomine.

"You spoke of this with the hostage?" asked a curious Hyuuga.

"Yeah… He's kind of living with me right now… He's still a bit traumatised over the incident. Although he didn't look that much concerned to me though. But I'm sure that he wants to forget about the incident so we should respect his decision—"

"Did anybody come for him?" Imayoshi asked.

"Huh? No… I'm not sure actually. I think he had a couple of visitors over at my place last week but I wasn't around when they came. He said that it was just people from his agency… As far as I know, he's been keeping to himself… At my place… Baking cookies."

* * *

It was already past noon when the Rakuzan trio finally reached their intended destination.

"Your driving license needs to be revoked," said Nijimura as he got out quickly from the car after feeling nauseous from the long drive. "Did you make the driving instructor pass you by pointing a gun to his head?"

"Heh. He passed me before I even started with the driving test! And don't just blame me for the bad driving. I had bad directions. Moriyama is responsible for that. He should have just admitted earlier that he can't read that map. Or else we wouldn't be going around in circles for ages," Kagami replied.

"Shut it you two— This place looks like it. Secluded mountain village. Check. Old wooden temple. Check. Next to a river. Check. Two ugly statues on both sides of the gate. Check—"

"Eiji-sama. Check," said Kagami under his breath as he stared at an elderly man who was still looking good for his age with his short, black hair swept to the back sweeping the fallen autumn leaves off the sidewalk near the steps leading up to the temple.

"Ah— Father!" Nijimura yelled desperately ignoring his companions as he ran towards the familiar figure.

The elderly man stopped short of what he was doing as he stared back at the three visitors and his expression went from a look of surprise to grim.

"I thought that I made it perfectly clear that I no longer want to have anything to do with the clan anymore—" he said.

"I'm sorry Father but… We need to ask you something. A lot of things actually," pleaded Nijimura sadly. "It's about the Teikou clan… They are expanding their influence right now and they gave us an ultimatum a few months ago to disband our clan and join them… But I… We didn't want to! We have no idea why these things are happening right now which is why we looked for you. Maybe you have some answers for us…"

Eiji sighed deeply before he gestured to the guys to follow him into the temple.

When they took their seats in a small private room in the temple, Moriyama started filling out the details to Eiji as he listened intently to every single word that was said. Nijimura was shifting uncomfortably in his seat and Kagami was annoyed that there was only plain tea and light biscuits served to them after what felt like a long day.

"I see… The Teikou clan has become active once more… And you're not sure what their motivations are…"

"Yeah… We lost Midorima and Takao too…" Nijimura said sadly. "I thought that if we knew who we're dealing with, we could find out what their weaknesses are and come up with some kind of a counterattack plan. I still don't understand why they're acting this way. We never had any problems with them in the past… Plus, we're actually pretty similar… There shouldn't be that many of them left in the first place too. They should have disbanded themselves instead and join us!"

"Anything you want to say Eiji-sama?" Moriyama asked.

"I… I have been living here in seclusion for almost 2 years… Trying to atone to my sins. But it seems that my past has finally caught up with me. Both of them should still be very young now… In fact, they're probably around the same age as you guys now… So I guess age isn't an important factor in all these as long as you have the chops for it…"

"Both of them? Who are you referring to Eiji-sama?" asked Moriyama who is now very interested with Eiji's revelation.

"Kouzou's… My brother's… Two sons."

"Wha—?" all three of them yelled in unison.

"Kouzou has heirs?" Kagami asked this time. "How could no one know of this in the first place? Didn't his wife commit suicide before she could give him a child?"

"She was definitely pregnant at that time… 7 months I think… I was there when it happened. She was still alive when I rushed her to the hospital. They put her into surgery but they couldn't save her… But the baby survived. I paid the people who were working at the hospital at that time to keep it a secret from Kouzou…"

"You mention another son… How does he fit into all this?" Moriyama reminded him.

"Before my brother got married, he was actually with another woman. A childhood sweetheart… His lover. But she came from a poor family and our father didn't approve of their relationship. The truth is, it was Kouzou who was forced into the marriage, not his wife. Back then, our father was in charge of the clan and we were not doing well due to a lot of financial issues. He has a good friend, a wealthy businessman who turned into a powerful politician… He has only one daughter and it just so happened that she was already in love with Kouzou. Our father and his friend thought that it was a good idea to match them. By marrying her, all our financial woes will be resolved. The politician will also benefit from our protection against his political enemies. Kouzou's wife knew Kouzou would never love her the way he loved the other woman but she was confident that she could change his mind after they got married… She thought that if she could give Kouzou a child, she will finally gain his full attention but… It turns out that the other woman was already pregnant with Kouzou's child before the wedding happened… That was how she started to fall into a deep depression and was kept secluded in the family residence…"

Eiji stopped talking for a bit as he took another sip of tea before he continued with his story.

"I… The truth was… I had always been jealous of my brother… He only had all these privileges because he happened to be the first-born even though I was the more capable one. I was hot-headed too back then… Kouzou was the charming one so he still ended up having the most supporters… I couldn't care less if more people preferred him to me… But the last straw was when I learned about the marriage… We both knew his wife since we were young being family friends and all… I was actually in love with her… So when I heard that she was to be married off to Kouzou, I was totally against it. I was mad over the whole arrangement. It got even worst when I found out that she loved him too so I… I started feeding her stories about Kouzou and his secret lover. I thought that it might make her change her mind about marrying Kouzou… But she was stubborn and went ahead with the marriage. She was very happy when she found out that she was pregnant with Kouzou's child and it only made me angrier… I met up with her and broke the news that Kouzou's first child has just been born. And it is a boy too… That even if she carried on with having Kouzou's child, the child will only be recognized as second-best. Just like how I turned out… She completely lost it after that—"

"But if Kouzou had two sons... How could anybody not know?" Kagami asked curious now.

"Kouzou kept the birth of the first son a secret. Very few people knew of his existence. The reason being that Kouzou wanted him out of harm's way. He didn't want his son to grow up and inherit the burden of leading a yakuza clan. My brother had never wanted to be clan leader but our father gave him no choice… Which is why he wanted to give his own son the choice he never had… He bought a small house near Roppongi Hills for them and supported them financially. I knew all these because Kouzou never kept secrets from me… He knew that I detest him but he still treated me like a brother… Kouzou knew that I loved his wife and refused the marriage because he didn't want to hurt my feelings but again, our father didn't give him a choice. He still took great care of her for my sake… So when she committed suicide, Kouzou took her death badly. He blamed himself for everything that's happened… Even though I had a big role in it too, I still blamed him… I despised him. For years I tried to fight for control of the clan but his influence was too strong. I stayed in my position as the disgruntled right hand man until the Roppongi Hills incident... When the current Chief Genta gunned down Kouzou and his lover... I came just in time to save Kouzou who was barely breathing when I arrived but his lover was already dead. I feared for the worse when I found that his son was missing but Kouzou was my main concern and I brought him to the hospital… I put a bunch of guys there to protect him in case Chief Genta came back to finish the job. The police force fought hard to take Kouzou into their custody but I hired strong lawyers to prevent it from happening. Citing compassionate reasons. That's the only reason he is still alive until today even though he has still not woken up for the past 15 years…" he said sadly before he continued. "Kouzou never knew about his second son. He thought that the child died with his wife. When his in-laws found out about the death of their only daughter, they severed all their ties with our clan, blaming us for their tragic loss. They were going to pull back their financial support too but I was able stop them by using their daughter's son as a deal-breaker. I gave them full custody of Kouzou's son and promised them that Kouzou will never know about this. Kouzou's father-in-law retired immediately from politics and moved to Kyoto where he and his wife raised the boy… One reason I could never gain full control of the Teikou clan even after Kouzou went into a coma was because a few of the higher ranking members still blamed me for all the things that had happened back then. Even when I tried to convince them that I was already a changed man after Kouzou's wife died, that I wanted to succeed Kouzou for his sake, my appeal to become clan leader was rejected so I finally left… To form the Rakuzan clan."

"I still don't see how this story can explain why the Teikou clan would want to come after us like that. Both the previous clan leaders have their own differences… But they are also still blood brothers! Kouzou is still alive because the Rakuzan clan is the one who is financing his hospital bills… He's under our protection… For the past 15 years… That even the police had given up on him," said Nijimura. "Father, do you by any chance know who his sons are? Maybe I could propose a meeting with them to solve our differences so we can avoid any unnecessary force and bloodshed."

Eiji smiled fondly at Nijimura and kept silent for almost a minute before he finally spoke.

"Kouzou's sons took their mothers' family names. The first son is Kise Ryouta… He's been making quite a name for himself in the modelling industry. He inherited his mother's beauty… The second son is Akashi Seijuurou… He is currently following his maternal grandfather's footsteps… Trying to make it into the government office as a politician..."

"What the hell— I have met this Kise Ryouta! Only yesterday! He even gave me an autograph! He's with that annoying police officer… And this Akashi Seijuurou! He's running for a seat on the city council! And I voted for him last week!" Kagami yelled in frustration.

"I'm impressed to hear you taking your voting rights seriously Kagami-kun, being the _law-abiding citizen_ you are… But did you just say that this Kise Ryouta is with a police officer?" said Moriyama.

"Uh… Well, they looked like they were on a date but yeah… He's with Aomine Daiki… The one who busted a few of our activities last year and threw a good number of our followers into jail. I think he got a commendation for that recently and has now been promoted to a higher rank. What a pain in the ass…"

"Ryouta is hanging around with a police officer? I would have thought after what they had done to his parents… He would have hated their guts…" said a curious Eiji.

"So Kise is hanging around with a police officer… And Akashi is taking part in the up-coming elections for a seat in the government… Hmm… Something is definitely up," said Moriyama in his serious thinking tone. "Thank you Eiji-sama. With this information, I'm sure we can finally figure something out. We should get going to Tokyo now before it gets late... Thank you again for your time Eiji-sama!"

"Father— Are you sure that you'll be alright here? Should I send some of our guys over to look out for your safety?" Nijimura asked. "I'm sorry that we have come all the way here to ask for your help. It has been very difficult for me lately trying to deal with everything that has been going on. I'm ashamed—"

"You have been nothing but excellent Shuuzou… I couldn't be more proud that I had raised you to be the man you've now become. If this had happened under my watch… I would have already surrendered… But you… Still fought on," he patted Nijimura's head. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine here. No matter what happens, I want you to keep moving forward."

"Thanks Father…" Nijimura mumbled sheepishly as he blushed from his adopted father's compliment. "I hope that you won't go anywhere else after this… I would really like to visit you more often. It has been a long time—"

"Goodbye Shuuzou," said Eiji as he hugged Nijimura before he left for Tokyo.

Nijimura took the wheel this time feeling more confident of his chances with going up against the Teikou clan.

* * *

It was almost 8 in the evening when Aomine decided that he has done enough overtime for the day. Things have been very quiet anyway and there had been no signs of unrest or conflicts between both the fighting clans. Just as he was all set to leave, Sakurai came barging into his office apologising non-stop for his sudden intrusion.

"I'm sorry Aomine-kun! I'm sorry! But I've just received some news from the headquarters! It's regarding their ambush at Eiji's hideout!" he yelled at the top of the voice.

"Oh? They finally did it? Was he really there? Did they catch him?" Aomine asked intrigued with the unexpected news.

"They found him as soon as they arrived… But he was already dead… _Murdered._"


	4. Chapter 4

Murasakibara stood relatively quiet next to Himuro with his head bowed down to the floor as Himuro tried to explain their current predicament to the audience.

"The police saw us Akashi-sama," said Himuro in a trembling voice. "We managed to escape but… They saw us."

"Shit," cursed Takao who was standing against the wall with his arms crossed in the library of the main family residence belonging to the Teikou clan.

Takao bit his lower lip as he glanced nervously at Midorima who was currently deep in thought over his next move as he stared at the chess board in front of him while his opponent, Akashi Seijuurou, stared silently at the duo with his intense heterochromatic eyes that would occasionally reflect the light that came through a nearby window in an eerie manner.

"Even if the police had not seen you there, the blame on Eiji's death will still fall on us," he finally spoke in a calm manner.

"What happened back there?" Midorima asked still staring at the chess pieces on the board.

"We followed them as you ordered us to after Kise-chin gave you the information. We caught them just in time at the train station when they were about to leave for Kyoto. We never got close to them, only watching them from a safe distance. When they were about to leave the temple, we saw that Eiji-sama was still alive and well in the compound. We were just about to head in when a police car stopped right in front of the temple. We saw a single police officer enter the temple and we waited for almost an hour before he finally came out empty-handed and drove off. We decided to wait for a little while longer just so the coast is clear before going in… When we set foot in the temple, we saw that… There wasn't a single living person left. We found Eiji-sama in one of the rooms with a fatal gunshot wound in his head," said Murasakibara.

"We looked around the temple for anybody who could still be alive… But we found none. We panicked… We couldn't understand what just happened… We didn't even realize that a police squad had arrived to ambush Eiji-sama… That's when they found us," Himuro added. "We barely got away…"

"Hmmphh. Just lay low for now until we figure out what we should do next. For now, it won't just be the entire police force coming after both of you… But the guys from Rakuzan too," said Takao in a grim manner.

* * *

"Eiji-sama is dead?" Kise asked in a surprised tone as soon as he heard the news from Aomine.

"Yeah— I heard that the Teikou clan did it. When the police ambushed the hideout, their hitmen were seen fleeing the scene. Our men tried to go after them but they still managed to escape… I heard that a couple of our men were critically wounded and a few others slightly injured from the encounter with them... Murasakibara Atsushi and Himuro Tatsuya… Both of them have been on our most wanted list for a while now and we never had any success with apprehending even one of them. They are professional hitmen who will only work for the highest bidder. I'm surprised that the Teikou clan could afford hiring them," Aomine said as he changed out of his police uniform to get ready for bed. "Tomorrow is going to be one hell of a busy day— I wonder how the Rakuzan will react to this news. There's going to be total chaos."

"But— But why would the Teikou clan want to hurt Eiji-sama?"

"Huh? Why wouldn't they? They are fighting for total control of this area right? Based on the timing, this is probably their warning message to the Rakuzan clan for ignoring their request to disband and join them…" said Aomine. "Well that's one bad person down. Heh. Maybe I'll just watch both clans try to kill one another. It'll make my job much easier."

Kise only glared at Aomine over his last comment before he pulled the sheet cover over his head so that Aomine would not see him starting to tear up.

"Aominecchi… I… I will probably not come home for a couple of days… You don't have to wait for me," he mumbled as he tried to hide his breaking voice.

"Wha—? Why? Are you going back to work?"

"Yeah… I'm going back to work."

* * *

The police station was almost empty compared to the day before as most of the policemen were dispatched outside to do more rounds to counter any signs of unrest should they arise. After the news of Eiji-sama's death broke out, there had been a slight increase in the number of fights and disputes reported between both rival clan members.

"I'm glad that I didn't get dispatched outside— I heard that a couple of our cops who tried to break up a fight between the followers of both clans are now at the hospital… Nursing a couple of broken bones. Ouch—" shivered Wakamatsu. "So Aomine-kun… What should we do now to make ourselves look just as busy as the ones outside?"

"I'm still waiting for orders from Hyuuga or Imayoshi. How about we just clear up whatever we have right now? Oh right, it seems that they both knew about Kise being held captive by those drug dealers from last time too. And they wanted a freaking follow-up. Oi Sakurai! That's all on you okay?" Aomine yelled lazily at Sakurai who was busy typing away on his laptop.

"Wha—? More investigative work for me?" he wailed.

"Why not? Aren't you a member of the investigation unit?" Aomine replied.

"But… But I already have a lot of work on my table! I haven't even found anything new about the Teikou clan since that last meeting! You want me to investigate why Kise Ryouta was kidnapped now? Those drug dealers are all dead! What do you want me to do? Hire a medium so I can call up their restless spirits and ask them why they kidnapped him?" said a flabbergasted Sakurai.

"Oh— That does sound like a good idea! Hahaha," laughs Aomine. "Fine— I'll lend you a hand. I'm betting on Kouzou's child from his deceased wife as the one who is calling the shots now! This could be a revenge thing—"

"Show us the evidence first before making up your own stupid theories Aomine-kun! I'm sure that the child died along with her," said Wakamatsu in a bored tone.

"Which is why I'm heading to the hospital after this— I hope they still keep their medical records from over 20 years ago!" said Aomine. "Wakamatsu! Help Sakurai out with regards to Kise's case okay? Check out the backgrounds of those drug dealers… Their bank accounts, friends and family... Maybe something useful will show up from there."

* * *

Kise stared at his awful reflection in the mirror and gently rubbed an ice cube underneath his eyes to lessen the puffiness from having cried all night long after hearing about Eiji's sudden death. He was glad that Aomine had not noticed anything amiss as he slept like a log through the night and then left for work in a hurry early that morning. After he was sure that he looked decent enough to go out, he started to think of a good place to stop by for a quick lunch before heading to the hospital.

He had disguised himself properly for his trip to the hospital to avoid any unnecessary attention. He had dark sunglasses on and was wearing a thick jacket with a dark blue scarf around his neck. He noticed that there were a lot of gang members hanging around outside the hospital today but he wasn't sure from which clan they came from. He kept his head low as he walked past them before making his way to the lift. As soon as he got into one, he pressed the button for the 13th floor where the private rooms are located.

* * *

Aomine was annoyed that despite flashing his police badge at the hospital reception, the staff there still insisted that he follow proper work protocols before they would allow him access into their records office. He managed to call up Wakamatsu to help him out with his woes and Wakamatsu promised him that that he'll get a formal letter from headquarters faxed to the hospital as soon as he could. He must have been waiting for almost 2 hours when a nurse finally informed him that all the paperwork is in order and he can now go into their records office.

It only took him less than 5 minutes to find Kouzou's wife old medical records. He was glad that it was still there in storage. Unfortunately, there wasn't much in it that seemed useful for Aomine. He studied the last few sheets which contained the last bit of information about the incident before her imminent death.

"So it seems that she was still alive when they brought her to the hospital—" Aomine thought to himself as he read through the notes.

The last sheet was a copy of her death certificate. Aomine sighed to himself when he saw that he has reached a dead end but read through the notes one last time before calling it a day. This time he noted down the names of the people who had worked on the case and hoped that those people were still around so he can interview them. After scribbling their names down on piece of paper, he went back to the reception to ask the staff if any of the people on his list were still working there.

"I'm sorry Aomine-kun but we don't recognize any of these names… They probably don't work here anymore. Oh wait, this one— Ayame-san! You're lucky! She's just about to retire next week— Let me check the work roster if she's in today!" said the young nurse at the reception. "Hmmm… Yep, she's on the afternoon shift today. She's a ward nurse at the Special Care Baby Unit. Just take the lift to the 6th floor and turn left towards the end!"

Aomine thanked her before he started to make his way to the 6th floor. As soon as he walked into the ward, he spotted an elderly nurse tidying a baby incubator and made a wild guess in his head that she could be the one that he was looking for.

"Uh— Hello. By any chance, could you be Ayame-san?" Aomine asked politely.

"Yes… I am Ayame-san… How may I help you? Are you the father of one of the babies here?" she asked with a gentle smile that brightened up her aged face.

"No, no. I'm a police officer," he flashed his police badge. "I'm here for unofficial business which is why I'm currently not in uniform. Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Oh no… What happened now? Did I do something wrong?" she asked worried.

"Don't worry Ayame-san! It's only about an old case… From 23 years ago. You were working at the time Shirogane Kouzou's wife was admitted into this hospital after a failed suicide attempt… Can you tell me anything about that case?"

"She lost a lot of blood and there wasn't anything we could do to save her… That's pretty much what happened back then. What else do you want to know?"

"She was heavily pregnant at that time. Did the baby die with her too?" Aomine asked as he noticed the nurse quickly turn away from him and stared at the baby incubator she was tidying up beforehand.

"… Uh… That… Umm… How should I say this…"

"Please Ayame-san, just tell me what you know. I promise you that I will keep anything that you tell me as confidential information. Your name will not be mentioned if that's what you're afraid of."

"… He paid me… Paid us… To keep it quiet. But I guess that doesn't mean anything now since I've just heard of his death yesterday…"

"Eiji-sama? He paid you? Why? For what?"

"When Kouzou's wife was on our table, we didn't see much hope for her… And the surgeon decided that we probably had a better chance with saving the baby. We performed an emergency caesarean section and we managed to take the baby out… She died shortly after. The baby was kept under special care for a while since he was born preliminary. I… Was assigned to look after the baby while he was here. After he was fit to leave the hospital, his grandparents picked him up. The ones from the mother's side," she said.

"Shit— So I was right…" Aomine exclaimed in shock with the revelation.

"He has grown up to be a fine young man… I have seen him around… In the news. If I'm not wrong, he's running for a seat in the government office for the up-coming elections. I wouldn't be surprised though. The Akashi family has always been heavily involved in the country's political scene since forever. I recognized him from his different-coloured eyes… I'll never forget those eyes," she continued.

"Akashi… I've heard that name before… This is good. Great! Thank you so much Ayame-san!" Aomine exclaimed excitedly as he grabbed the elderly woman's hands to squeeze them with gratitude. "Enjoy your retirement!"

Aomine could not control his excitement as he got into the lift to get to the ground floor. He couldn't wait to tell Wakamatsu about this and rub the information all over his smug face. He had finally gotten a good lead for their current investigation. Just as he stepped out of the lift, he caught a glimpse of a familiar person enter the lift right next to him. The doors closed before he had a good look at the person but Aomine was able to guess who it was immediately. He had caught a short glimpse of the luscious blonde hair and the single blue hoop earring on the left ear. It was definitely Kise.

He saw that the lift had stopped on the 13th floor. He was curious as to why Kise would be at the hospital at a time like this. Didn't he say that he is working today? Is he not feeling well? Aomine looked at the hospital directory and saw that the 13th floor only consists of private rooms. The thought of who Kise would be visiting there intrigued him. He thought that it shouldn't do any harm if he met up with Kise and re-entered the lift, pressing the button for the 13th floor.

As soon as he got onto the 13th floor, the first thing he noticed was the murmur of activity going on around him. The corridor was filled with men who looked to be gang members. Aomine felt nervous all of a sudden and was glad that he had changed into plain clothes before he came to the hospital. He couldn't see Kise anywhere and decided to stop a nurse who had just walked past him.

"Uhh— Excuse me. I was with a friend just now and I've lost him. He's tall and has blonde hair—"

"Kise-kun you mean?" the nurse giggled.

"Right. Of course everybody knows who he is," Aomine replied with a nervous laugh. "Do you know which room he's in at the moment?"

"That one," she gestured to a room not far away from the end of the corridor. "It might be a tight squeeze though. There are a lot of people around at the moment…"

"I hope they're not here for trouble—"

"Oh no! They have never given us any problems at all! They are just here to visit their leader—"

"Leader?" Aomine asked curiously.

"Kouzou-sama… Most of his followers are here to see him—" she said sadly. "I heard in the news that his younger brother had just died yesterday. I think he might follow soon—"

Aomine wasn't really listening to what the nurse was saying by then as a number of questions started to run through his head. What is Kise doing here? Did he come to visit the previous Teikou clan leader? How do they know each other? He tried to get closer to the room but there were too many people coming in and out of the room that it was starting to look like a lost cause. He finally decided to leave the hospital and head back to the station.

* * *

"How long will it take?" Kise asked sadly.

"It varies— Not all patients are the same. The ventilator was removed about an hour ago. All we can do is wait," said Midorima.

"He's never waking up… Is he?"

"All his major organs are starting to shut down Kise-kun. There is no point with keeping him on the life-support machine. This is the best time to let him go—" Midorima continued as he adjusted his glasses. "We have other things to worry about now. We have a future to look into… We can't move on if we're still hanging on desperately to the past..."

Kise was already crying uncontrollably on Kouzou's bedside while Takao tried his best to console him. Akashi was sitting on a chair next to where Midorima was standing as he looked on with a blank expression.

"Akashi-sama, aren't you going to say something to Kise-kun?" Midorima asked him.

"I… I will never understand the feelings Ryouta is having right now… Kouzou has always been there in Ryouta's life… Unlike me… I only found out that he was my real father after the incident," replied Akashi in a distinctive tone.

* * *

As Aomine watched Sakurai go through his notes in a frenzy after hearing the piece of information that Aomine has obtained, his mind started to drift on to other things. He was trying to think hard for an explanation on why Kise would be visiting Kouzou. He didn't want to think of anything bad of Kise and thought of all sorts of excuses for Kise that would shed him in good light. Like maybe the nurse had pointed out the wrong room to him. Or that Kise was with someone else who happened to be visiting Kouzou.

"Akashi Seijuurou— It has to be him!" exclaims Sakurai interrupting Aomine's thoughts as he showed a picture of Akashi on his laptop screen.

"Huh? Oh right, this must be him. The nurse said something about different coloured eyes— They don't look the same right? The left one is lighter…" Aomine said as he took a closer look at Akashi's picture. "Although… With his credentials, he doesn't sound like someone who would be a yakuza. Hey, don't tell Hyuuga and Imayoshi okay? Let's confirm this one first. I don't want to be the laughing stock if I got this one wrong. And… This guy looks like serious business. Knowing these politicians, he might sue me for wrongful defamation..."

"Aomine-kun! I think I have something here too!" said Wakamatsu waving at Aomine to come to his table.

"What is it?" he asked annoyed. "It can't be better than what I've just got."

"Almost as good— I got the bank to release the bank account details for all the drug dealers… They all seemed pretty normal to me… Except for this one guy… He's the leader of that drug syndicate… On the same day that Kise-kun was kidnapped, 5 million yen was deposited into his account—"

"It's probably just payment for the drugs—"

"Let me finish Aomine-kun," Wakamatsu said annoyed. "I traced back where the money came from and… The bank account has been flagged as one thought to be owned by the Rakuzan clan— And that's kind of suspicious since of all the illegal things that the Rakuzan clan are involved in, drug trade isn't one of them."

"You think the Rakuzan clan paid them to kidnap Kise? But why?" Aomine asked.

"Could still be a kidnap for ransom thing," said Sakurai. "Although again, this is a first for me to hear that the Rakuzan clan would kidnap someone for ransom… That's just not their standard operation… Do you think that they might just be desperate for other ways to earn money? Since the Teikou clan has taken over most of their sources of revenue—"

It was starting to get too much for Aomine to handle that he announced out loud that he needed to go to the restroom and cool his head. After freshening up by splashing his face repeatedly with cold water, another thought that has been bugging him for the past few days crossed his mind and he left the restroom in a hurry to get to Sakurai.

"Oi Sakurai! Can you pull out our case records from 15 years ago? Uh… Find me something about a kid who died at the playground! At that… Old neighbourhood near Roppongi Hills that's going to be demolished soon!" he ordered Sakurai.

"What does that have to do—"

"Just find it!"

* * *

Aomine was in a tired and disgruntled mood when he came back to his room late in the night. There were too many things going on at once at work and it was giving Aomine a headache. Sakurai was unable to find the case files that Aomine had requested as they were kept in another station but he was able to make arrangements for the files to be delivered to their station. Only that it won't happen till the next day. They had spent the rest of the evening doing a thorough background check on Akashi Seijuurou only to find that he has a squeaky clean record. Aomine was starting to doubt that the guy even has any ties to the Teikou clan at all other than him being the son of Kouzou's deceased wife. Just as Aomine was about to leave the station for home, they received news that Shirogane Kouzou had passed away at the hospital earlier that afternoon.

He noticed that Kise was not around when he remembered that Kise had mentioned something the previous night about not coming home for a while due to work commitments. The futon felt too big for him all of a sudden and he started to miss Kise. He was also beginning to dread the day that Kise would really leave him for good.

He was about to fall asleep when he heard a loud thud outside his door which made him sit back up on alert. There was silence for a while before he started to hear the sound of someone fiddling with the lock on his door. Suspecting that it might an intruder trying to break into his room, Aomine slowly rose up and grabbed a frying pan from over his stove as a weapon just in case. As he got closer to his door, whoever was fiddling with the door lock had stopped and there was only complete silence now. Aomine thought that the intruder may have given up and left but just to be sure, he opened the door slightly to find Kise sprawled outside his door in a drunken state.

"Kise? Wha— Are you drunk?"

"Aominecchiiiiiii— I can't open the doooooooor—" he slurred.

"Did you just come back from a drinking party? You're totally wasted!" he exclaims as he quickly carried Kise inside and laid him against the wall.

Kise was giggling non-stop as Aomine tried to force him to drink a glass of plain water when he noticed Kise's puffy eyes and tear-stricken face.

"Kise— What happened? Have you been crying?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"Hmmmmmmmm— Nooo— Why would I be crying?" he giggled as he threw himself onto Aomine causing the glass of water to spill.

"Ah— Damnit Kise! You got us both wet. Wait, let me get you changed quickly—"

"Hmmm— Aominecchi wants to take my clothes off? Oookayy—"

Aomine ignored Kise's drunken antics and carried on with unbuttoning Kise's shirt.

"Aomine's wet tooo— Let me help you take it offff toooo—" Kise cooed as he started to pull Aomine's shirt off him.

"Kise— You didn't have to— I can do it myse—" Aomine stopped short of his words when Kise kissed him full-on the lips.

"What the hell Kise?!" Aomine yelled as he pushed Kise off him causing Kise to hit his back roughly against the wall.

"Huh? That's hurts— Aominecchi is so meaann— Hic— Meaannn—" Kise wailed as he started to cry.

"Shit Kise. You're really drunk. You have no idea what you're doing right now!"

Kise was an uncontrollable crying mess right then and Aomine started to think desperately of a way to mend the current situation. His first instinct was to pull Kise closer towards him as he tried his best to console the latter and hoped that he will eventually calm down.

"Mean— Aominecchi is meaann—"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Just stop crying... You look awful. Don't mess that pretty face," he said gently as he began to hug Kise tighter. "Did… Did something happen? It couldn't be a drinking party… Or else you won't be crying…" he asked hoping that he could pull out a sane answer from the drunken guy.

"Hic— I… I don't have anyone— I'm aloonnee—"

"Wha? Why would you say that Kise? I'm here. You have me," said Aomine.

"Hic— Really? Aominecchi will look after me?"

"Why wouldn't I? I'm on my own too. It's nice to finally have company…"

"… Aominecchi likes having me here?"

"Yeah… I'm starting to get used… To having you here. I can't imagine what it would be like when you leave me… I… I'll be devastated Kise…"

"Why would Aominecchi want meee? I'm nooo good. I'm a bad person."

"Heh. You're not a bad person Kise—"

"I'm a horrible person."

"Stop that Kise. Don't put yourself down like this. You have your own strengths…"

"I'm baaadd—"

"I'll still want to be with you Kise," said Aomine who was starting to use this opportunity to get a lot of things off his chest even though he knew that Kise would not remember any of this the next day.

Kise had stopped crying by then as he pressed his face onto Aomine's bare chest and there was a comforting silence for a while before Kise pushed himself up to face Aomine.

"Comfort me Aominecchi."

"Wha— Damn, you're still drunk. You don't know what you're talking abou—" said Aomine as he struggled to find the right words to say to Kise who has started to shower kisses on his neck. "Shit Kise. Stop this."

Aomine could no longer think straight as the sweet scent of Kise's soft hair started to overwhelm his senses when Kise began to kiss his collarbone hungrily. He felt a jolt when Kise's hand found its way into his pants and touched his length. That simple gesture was already enough to get Aomine hard and he could no longer keep a straight facade.

"Heh— Aominecchi wants me," smirks Kise as he started to grind his hips against Aomine.

By then Aomine has already captured Kise's mouth for a deep kiss as he started to unravel whatever piece of clothing is left on Kise. Kise was more than obligatory as he let Aomine take control of the situation.

Aomine's mind was screaming at him to stop but he ignored the voices of reason in his head as he has already fallen deep under Kise's spell and allowed his body to succumb to the lust.

"Nggh— Quickly Aominecchi— Take me…"

With that last statement, Aomine finally lost all sense of reason as he pressed Kise down on the floor and devoured the latter until they both finally passed out from the strenuous activity.

* * *

Aomine was suddenly awakened the next morning by a painful punch to his face.

"Owww— Wha— What the hell?" Aomine yelled in pain as he opened his eyes to stare at an upset-looking Kise who had covered himself using the sheets.

"Aomine! What did you do to me?" he yelled back angrily before he attempted to punch Aomine one more time only to miss his target as he fumbled in the sheets he was covered in and tumbled face-first into the futon.

"What did I— You! You're the one who asked for it! You came on to me!" Aomine yelled as he backed himself up while trying to avoid another attack from the latter. "You insisted! What was I going to do?" he continued blubbering out whatever excuses that went through his head.

Kise glared back up angrily at Aomine as he tried to make sense of what Aomine had meant by his statement.

"You were drunk Kise— I guess I should have refused you… But I couldn't. I…" said Aomine who was starting to regret his irrational actions from the previous night. "I can't hold myself back… I'm sorry, I'm sorry—" he apologised repeatedly hoping that some of his words would get through to Kise.

"There are a lot of things going on in my life Aominecchi…" Kise finally said sadly. "I'm sorry too— I—" he started sulking.

"Kise? Wha— Don't cry— I told you I'm sorry. I won't take advantage of you ever again. I promise. I'm wrong in this— I—"

"Just forget it Aominecchi… It's done," he mumbled as he turned his back to Aomine and hid himself under the blanket.

"Kise… What's going on?" Aomine asked.

"A family member died… Two… Two of them… Just recently…" he replied between sobs. "I… I'm grieving."

"Huh? I… I didn't know… You never told me. If I had known…"

"There's nothing you could do about it. Stop telling me that you can make everything better for me."

Aomine was struck speechless by Kise's statement and was left staring helplessly at the blanket under which Kise had taken refuge in.

"You can tell me anything Kise. I'll listen. Anything. I'm so sorry that I took advantage of you during a bad time. I guess… I guess part of me actually wanted what happened last night… I… I want you... I want you so bad Kise."

"Why? Why would you want me? Is it because of my looks? Do you just like the idea of being with a model?" Kise asked curiously as he sneaked a peek at Aomine from underneath his blanket.

"I… There's just something… I… I don't know how to say it. Since I first met you… I had this urge to protect you… And… My life hasn't been the same since you came into it… If… If you were to go, I don't know what I'm going to do anymore. I know I told you before that I won't take heart if we were to never see and talk to each other again after all this… But now I don't know anymore—" his words came to a halt as he felt Kise's soft lips against his for a brief second.

"I really want to tell you everything... I really do. But I don't think I can… Not yet. I— I hope you won't be mad at me Aominecchi—"

"I'll never get mad at you Kise! Never! Just… Take all the time you need. I'll still be here… For you," Aomine said gently as he began to feel much better when he saw a weak smile form on Kise's sorrowful face. "Uh— I didn't hurt you or anything right? After… Last night…"

"I'll be fine Aominecchi… Just… Next time, make sure I'm sober before you try something on me," he teased softly as he snuggled closer to Aomine to take in the comfortable warmth of his chest on such a chilly morning. "Aominecchi won't hurt me right?"

"No Kise. I won't ever hurt you."

* * *

Even the news about the death of Kouzou from the previous day did not lighten up Nijimura's miserable mood as he stared at the open casket of his adopted father whose body has just arrived from Kyoto early that morning. Most of the Rakuzan clan members were gathered at the funeral home as Nijimura had insisted for all of the funeral proceedings to be completed as quickly as possible so he can finally close one the darkest chapters in his life.

He was dressed in an expensive black suit which he had kept in his closet for a very long time for that one special occasion only to feel a sense of distraught that he had ended up wearing it on that day instead. Nijimura had already experienced the painful loss of his parents in a car accident that he had a vague memory of. Or it could be that he had never wanted to recall that memory. It happened on their way back home from his first day of school and Nijimura was too excited to stay in his seat at the back of the car as he narrated stories of his day to his parents. He had remembered his mother telling him to stay put and to save the stories for over dinner while his father was frequently glancing back towards him to check that he was indeed safely buckled to his seat when a car came out suddenly from a junction and his father had not reacted fast enough to avoid it. The next thing that Nijimura remembered was waking up in a hospital a few days later only to be told by a relative that he had survived the accident but his parents did not. He was then passed from one family relative to another as no one was keen about taking him in until he met Shirogane Eiji. He was a friend of Nijimura's father and had attended their funeral early on. Upon hearing of Nijimura's plight, he had asked his remaining relatives to allow him to adopt Nijimura much to their delight that they no longer had to bear the responsibility of taking care of him. He was in for a life-changing experience after that. Suddenly he has his own room, a big one with servants who were always there for him and he gained admission to a prestigious private school with a bunch of scary-looking gentlemen who were ever-so-ready to escort him to school and do his every bidding. Growing up, he had always wondered why the other students and even the teachers would tend to keep a distance from him. It was only when he entered high school that he began to gain an understanding of his new family background. Eiji has never revealed himself to be a yakuza clan leader as he had thought that Nijimura was too young to understand the circumstances of his upbringing but Nijimura was a quick learner who figured everything out on his own. No one wanted to be friends with him for fear of his family background but he didn't mind at all since he was the kind of person who liked to keep things to himself anyway. While he was in high school, he befriended Kagami or it could have pretty much been the other way round instead. Kagami was a troubled kid who enjoyed getting into fights just for the hell of it. He had wanted to join a gang but was constantly rejected because they thought that he was just a little punk and wasn't ready for it. He was constantly challenging Nijimura for a fight saying that he was too good-looking and weak to be a gang member and Nijimura ended up beating him with a sharp flick on his forehead and a punch into the stomach before he stepped all over the poor boy. After that Kagami swore his allegiance to Nijimura and followed him around like a lost puppy up till now. Then there was Moriyama who joined at about the same time as Kagami because he thought that joining a gang will give him the cool factor that will help him pick up more girls easily. With Haizaki and Hanamiya, they had always been thugs who were already in the gang in the first place.

His face lit up when he saw Midorima and Takao walk into the funeral home to pay their respects to Eiji. Both of Midorima and Takao were the sons of prominent figures in his clan too and they simply took up the positions that their fathers were previously in. Nijimura had actually grown up with them as kids. Even though he still bore a grudge against them for changing sides, he still missed them and considered them to be his best friends.

"We're so sorry for your loss Nijimura-sama," Takao said with a sad look on his face while Midorima placed a bouquet of fresh flowers close to the casket without saying a word.

Nijimura only gave them a weak smile and nodded to acknowledge their attendance.

He must have been standing for almost 2 hours greeting the mourners who came in to pay their last respects when he finally decided that he has had enough. He signalled at one of his men to usher in the last remaining mourners quickly and close the doors after so he can finally take that much needed break. After greeting the last of the mourners, he headed to the back of the building to have a smoke as he began to wonder on what's going to happen from now on. The cremation will be held that afternoon and he had planned to call for an emergency meeting that night with his people to discuss the future of their clan.

He was lost in his thoughts when he realized that he was already finished with his cigarette. He went back into the funeral home and was surprised to find another person that he has never seen before looking over his adopted father's casket.

"Oi— How did you get in? The time for paying your last respects is already over half an hour ago. We will be bringing the casket to the crematorium soon—" he said to the visitor who was of average build with spiky red hair and dressed in a black suit which looked more expensive than his own.

The visitor turned slowly towards him and Nijimura's first impression was that the stranger has strange eyes, both of different colours which proved to be a pretty unique sight.

"I'm sorry for your sudden loss Shuuzou," he said and Nijimura thought that it was peculiar that this man was already referring to him by first name basis.

"Ah— Thank you for coming… Did you know Eiji-sama well?" he asked.

"I… I have met him on a number of occasions. He used to come visit me to check up on me. When he came over, he would teach me to play shogi but after he kept losing to me, we rarely played together anymore…"

"I don't even know that he plays shogi… May I know you are?"

"His nephew… Akashi Seijuurou."

"Wha— Shit! How did you get in here? And past my men too? Damn, what the hell are they doing outside?" he yelled with a hint of panic in his voice. "What are you doing here? Are you after me this time? My men are right outside that door!" he continued before he cursed under his breath when he realized that he had left his gun back in his room.

"I'm not here to cause you any trouble Shuuzou. I am only here to give my last respects to Eiji. Ryouta is too upset to be able to make it here but he sent his condolences. We also have another funeral to arrange since Kouzou has passed away too."

"Like I care about Kouzou after… After what you did to Eiji! He has nothing to do with the clan anymore! It's cowardly of you to go after an old defenceless man who has already left the yakuza life!"

"We have nothing to do with Eiji's death."

"Wha— Why should I believe you? Our sources confirmed that your men were there when Eiji was found dead!"

"My men weren't there to kill him. We only wanted to confirm his current location and that he was alive and well."

"And why would you—"

"He has told me everything back when I was still a child. I knew that I was Kouzou's child and I understood why Eiji had to do the things that he did back then. He was also the one who reunited me with Ryouta after his parents died and kept a protective watch on us. That was how we both could go on and have a life that has nothing to do with the yakuza," said Akashi in a serious tone. "Why we started now— Was because Eiji had always been against our plans… So we only decided to become active after he went into retirement. Eiji wanted us to carry on with our carefree lives without getting involved with the clan… But we thought otherwise. Kouzou was a good man in a bad place and he was almost murdered in cold blood by a bad person in a good place…"

"I don't understand…"

"Chief Genta is a corrupt man and Kouzou was going to expose him of his wrongdoings but ended up gunned down instead before he had a chance to. It wasn't fair that he had risen up the ranks in the police force with blood on his hands while smearing the name of our father. Then there is also the matter about Ryouta's safety… Being the sole witness of what happened that day… Genta had attempted to kill him too… But Ryouta escaped."

"So now you want me to believe you? That you had nothing to do with Eiji's death?"

"You are free to believe whatever you want. But I suggest that you watch your back too. Not because of the police's threat. But a threat from your own men… Shuuzou, you have a traitor in your organization."

* * *

"Aomine-kun! The files that you asked for are here!" Sakurai said waving a thin file folder to Aomine as soon as he walked into the station.

"Oh really? Great! This is starting to be a good day—" he whistled as he approached Sakurai to grab the folder.

"You're… In a good mood? After everything that has happened?" Wakamatsu asked suspiciously.

"Hmm? What is there not to be happy about? Two ex-leaders of the yakuza are dead. Teikou and Rakuzan will kill each other. We don't have to do anything— Just sit back and watch them fight to their deaths—" Aomine smirked. "And I just got laid."

"What the fuc—" Wakamatsu cursed out aloud.

"Oh hum— This is Chief Genta's old case. Back when he was still just an ordinary police officer… So a small kid was hit by a stray bullet from his gun at the playground when he was chasing after Kouzou… Just a tragic accident…" he noted.

"The Roppongi Hills incident?" Sakurai asked bewildered. "Wait, Aomine-kun— Can I see that for a second?" said Sakurai grabbing the file that he had not looked through yet.

"Something caught your eye?" said a puzzled Aomine.

"Uh— Yeah… I actually did a thesis about the yakuza gang culture when I was a student in the police academy. I did a lot of research on the Roppongi Hills incident so I knew it by heart… But I don't remember this one at all," he muttered studying the contents carefully. "I don't understand… Kouzou was gunned down at his lover's house. What was he doing at the playground? That place is about four blocks away from the house…"

"Anything on the kid who was killed? That's some serious stuff. How did Chief Genta get to where he is after all that? Sure, he almost took down Kouzou but… A civilian died at the same time. That's… Careless," Wakamatsu added.

"A foreign kid…" Sakurai mumbled as he looked at a picture of a small blonde boy with bright blue eyes. "Says here that his older sister found him dead by the swings... After a thorough investigation, the bullet was traced back to Chief Genta's gun and he dismissed it saying that he never fired at any kid… Says here he was too busy chasing and shooting at Kouzou… So a bullet may have unintentionally hit the kid… The case was closed immediately by the higher-ups as a freak accident while a police officer was only carrying out his duty."

"Sister…" Aomine mumbled as he stared at the picture of the little boy noting the boy's resemblance to Kise but with different coloured eyes. "She must be the one with Kise the other day…"

"What are you guys working on?" Hyuuga interrupted their little group chat.

"Ah— Aomine-kun wanted to look at old case file!" Sakurai answered.

"Hmmm… This is Chief Genta's old case… If you guys really want to know anything about it, why don't you ask the man himself? He'll be here soon," said Hyuuga.

"Huh? Chief Genta is coming down to this station? Why?" asked Wakamatsu.

"Because of the recent development with the gang activities. He worked on something like this years ago when he was rookie cop just like you guys. You guys seemed pretty good in all this. This is definitely worth mentioning to Chief Genta—"

* * *

Kise had stayed in at Aomine's place that day when Murasakibara and Himuro dropped by to check up on him. Murasakibara was losing his appetite and Himuro was vigorously polishing his gun as they both listened to Kise talk about his previous night with Aomine.

"—so I warned him that we should only do it when I'm not drunk— Ahh— My backside still hurts so much right now and I'm totally exhausted. Thanks for bringing me lunch guys! I don't think I can even go out today," said Kise.

"I can't believe you let him take advantage of you like that!" Himuro finally yelled out of frustration. "You— Arrgghh— I'll kill him! I'll kill him today!"

"Calm down Muro-chin…" Murasakibara said as he tried to hold Himuro back.

"I… I guess with Aominecchi, I actually didn't mind—"

"No Kise-kun! You and him will not—"

"Himurocchi! Please! Listen to me first!" Kise snapped back which promptly silenced the agitated man. "I… I'm tired of hiding… Just… Let bygones be bygones… I don't think Genta is after me anymore… It has already been 15 years and he hasn't even come anywhere close to me… I want to live a life of my own… The kind of life where I can make my own decisions… Not as planned by Akashicchi or anyone else… I know he meant well. I know all of you are just doing this out of concern for me… But I think it's about time that I finally have a say on how I wanted things to be… Aominecchi has been good to me… When the right time comes… I want to tell him everything… And I'm sure that he will understand—"

"But… But what if we can't trust him Kise-kun?" said Himuro.

"I've been with him for some time… I think I know him well enough by now... I'll be fine Himurocchi… Please, please stop worrying about me."

"Hmmm… This has become complicated now… I already told Aka-chin that this was a bad idea in the first place. Anyway, it will all be resolved soon. We're not here just to visit you Kise-chin… Aka-chin has ordered us to bring you home."

"Wha— What? Why now? Did something happen?"

"There is a lot of confusion going around at the moment especially with regards to Eiji's murder. It's obvious that someone is trying to put the blame of his death on our clan. Akashi has already sought out the Rakuzan clan leader to tell him in person that Eiji's death has nothing to do with us. The current situation is getting worrying and Aka-chin is afraid that you might be the next target. You were already captured before and Aka-chin is worried that it may not be over yet."

"So quickly finish your lunch and I'll pack up your things—"

"No! I'm not going anywhere!"

"Wha— Kise-kun! These are Akashi's orders! And his orders are absolute!" Himuro said.

"I don't care anymore about Akashicchi's plan! I'm not going with you guys! I'm tired— I'm tired of running and hiding! I'll be fine here. So please… Let me stay… I don't want to leave Aominecchi… Not yet," he sulked.

* * *

"Aomine-kun and his underlings have something? What?" Imayoshi asked with utmost curiosity.

"They're looking through your old case files Chief Genta— Specifically, the one about the kid that you gunned down at the playground…" said Hyuuga as he stared across the table at Chief Genta who gave him a bewildered look in return.

"Hmph— You think that they might figure out that shooting the kid was intentional? How do you think they will connect that old case with me? As far as I know, it's already a closed and done case," Chief Genta replied.

"Didn't someone else claim that the kid that died was innocent? His sister I think… That the kid just happened to be playing at the playground with her the whole time? How can you be sure that… You had not gotten the wrong kid?" said Imayoshi.

"That girl is just a ruse! I did not see her at all when I shot that kid! She's probably paid by those yakuza to confuse us! To scare me that the real kid who saw everything is still alive out there! When he is in fact dead! I saw the kid— He had blonde hair… And I followed him to the playground. I finished him. That's all that happened," he responded with a smug.

* * *

"Aaahh— You are amazing Kise—" Aomine whispered seductively into Kise's ear.

"Heh— That tickles Aominecchi— Stoopp—" giggles Kise as he turned around to face Aomine . "I think you have had enough. Or you won't be able to wake up in time tomorrow morning—"

"I can never get enough of you—" Aomine mumbled as he pulled Kise closer to him so he can rest his forehead against Kise's. "You're warming up to me Kise… I'm glad."

"… Least I could do… Since I don't contribute much living off you…"

"Wha— Shit, I did say that I don't mind having you here. You can stay as long as you like. Actually, it'll be good if you never go—"

"I… I don't want to be a burden to you… You've been awfully busy with work lately too… How are your investigations going with both rival clans?"

"For some reason, both clans have been very quiet for the past week. I was expecting the Rakuzan clan to go all ballistic about the murder of their ex-boss by the Teikou clan… There have been a few disputes here and there but no sound at all from their higher-ups. It's just… Weird."

"Maybe the Rakuzan clan didn't believe that the Teikou clan was responsible for the death of Eiji-sama…"

"Why wouldn't they? When the police ambushed Eiji's hideout, Teikou's hitmen were spotted trying to flee the scene! How is that not enough proof? And it coincides with the deadline for Teikou's ultimatum which Rakuzan ignored! Maybe this is Teikou's way of showing that they meant business!" Aomine reiterated. "Uggh— I don't know what's going on anymore— Oh right, uh— I actually had my men look into your kidnapping case… We found out that one of your kidnappers was paid a huge amount of money from a bank account owned by the Rakuzan clan on the same day of your kidnapping… I don't know if it's just a mere coincidence or anything… But do you know if there is any reason that the Rakuzan clan would be after you?"

"Huh? No… No, that doesn't make any sense at all. Why would they anyway?"

"Damn… Maybe it really doesn't have anything to do with you… Sorry, I just had to ask to be sure," said Aomine sleepily. "I'm just worried about you, that's all. I don't want anything bad to happen to you—"

"… Aominecchi will protect me if that time comes eh?" Kise teased Aomine only to be disappointed to see that Aomine was already fast asleep instead.

* * *

It has been more than a week since the passing of both the yakuza brothers. Aomine was starting to think that maybe their untimely passing did not matter at all since there has been a severe lack of activity from both rival clans. He has already started working on other cases not gang-related which is actually a nice change for once.

"Aomine-kun, do you think you can come with me to Imayoshi's office?" Hyuuga called out to him interrupting his train of thoughts.

"Huh? Oh right, sure. Coming—" he said as he quickly got up from his seat and tagged behind Hyuuga.

On their way to the office, they walked past Wakamatsu who gave him a distressed look and just as he was about to say something to Aomine, he suddenly clamped up upon seeing Hyuuga with Aomine. The strange reaction from Wakamatsu caused Aomine to start worrying all of a sudden as he wondered if he was being called up into his superior's office over something serious.

As soon as they entered Imayoshi's office, he was surprised to see Chief Genta there sitting comfortably on the huge sofa by the window despite not hearing of any scheduled visit by the big man.

"Have a seat Aomine-kun," Genta said in a firm voice as soon as he saw Aomine walked through the door.

"Uh— May I know why I've been called here? Did I do something wrong?" Aomine asked in a shaky voice as he started to fidget uncomfortably in his seat.

"It's about this friend of yours… Kise Ryouta…" Imayoshi said.

"Kise? What about him? Did something happen?" Aomine asked in a panicked voice. "He was fine this morning—"

"Let him finish Aomine-kun," Hyuuga snapped.

"Sorry!" Aomine apologised immediately.

"We have been doing an investigation of our own as of recently… With the topic of interest being Kise Ryouta… How well do you know him? Can you brief us a bit on his personal background?"

"Ah— I'm… Not sure. He never really talked much about himself but that's only because he is a private person… But I do know that he works as a model though! Although I don't see him going to work much since the incident…"

"Has he been asking you things about what we do here?"

"Uh… Yeah… What about it? He has an interest in what I do—"

"What an idiot!" Genta yelled causing Aomine to jump in his seat. "You're clueless aren't you? Clueless to who he really is? He is Kouzou's son damnit! You have been providing shelter to a wanted man this whole time and you were not even aware of it! He could have murdered you in your sleep and you would still have no idea!" he continued.

"What? Wait! I don't understand what you're talking about—"

"We have been doing a thorough investigation on his personal background and we find it suspicious that we could not find much about his past. His birth records at the hospital has been removed but after interviewing a few Teikou gang members who are currently in our custody… One of them finally said something interesting. That Kouzou had a child with his lover who Chief Genta had accidentally gunned down during his scuffle with Kouzou 15 years ago. It seems that after that incident, he has been sheltered by the Akashi family for reasons that we are not sure of yet. The Akashi family are veterans in the Japanese political scene so it has been difficult for us to gain access to information on why they would take him in… But as for now, we plan to take him into our custody for further questioning…" said Imayoshi.

"No, wait— It can't be—"

"Wakamatsu is already on his way to your place to scout him out. I assume that he isn't armed considering he has been living with you without any incident… But just to be on the safe side, we will be leaving soon to arrest him… And you will come with us. Wakamatsu has only been told to stand guard outside your place and not do anything until we arrive. Can you help us make sure that he is indeed at your place at this very moment?"

"Shit— No…"

"Are you rejecting our orders? Are you in cahoots with him now? Does this mean that you are working for the Teikou clan too?!" yelled Genta with bright anger shown on his face.

"No! I… This… This can't be happening—" Aomine said in a defeated voice.

* * *

Kise was trying to decide whether he should do the laundry first or go out to pick up some groceries when his phone buzzed with a message from Aomine.

**_From: Aominecchi_**

**_Are you home now? We need to talk. Don't go anywhere._**

Kise found the message from Aomine to be strange as he had not expected the latter to finish work for another 6 hours but he instinctively replied that he was home anyway. It didn't even cross his mind that there was something out of the ordinary with the message as he had assumed that it was a sign from above that he can't leave the room yet until the laundry is done.

Just as he was almost done with putting all the unwashed laundry into the washer, his phone rang and Kise answered the call cheerfully.

"Hello Himurocchi!"

"Kise-kun! We just received word that the police are on their way to your place to arrest you! You need to get out of there immediately—"

"Wha— How can that be? Why? I didn't hear anything from Aominecchi—" his words fade when the recent text message from Aomine started to make a little bit of sense to him.

"Just get out now! We're still about half an hour away from your place! We might not be in time so it's up to you to leave now and find a safe place to hide! Let us know where you are so we can pick you up—" Himuro yelled into the mouthpiece before hanging up abruptly.

"Shit," Kise thought to himself as the worse feeling started to dawn on him.

He had never realized how low he has kept his guard down until now. Part of him wanted to stay put and trust that Aomine would come back soon to his aid but even the chances of that happening now is starting to look bleak. Kise had never thought that his identity would be exposed this soon so he wasn't prepared with what's coming for him. He cursed his bad luck underneath his breath and ran towards the door to make his exit when…

He came face-to-face with Wakamatsu who was just standing outside the door waiting for him. As soon as they caught sight of each other, Wakamatsu quickly reacted with his gun pointed directly towards Kise causing him to come to a complete halt in his steps.

"Kise-kun? Going somewhere? I suggest that you don't … It's best that you cooperate with us— I don't want anyone to get hurt here. There are other people in the building so let's not cause them any trouble huh?" he warned Kise with obvious anxiety in his voice.

Kise barely gave any reaction to Wakamatsu's warning as he studied his chances of getting away when he saw that he only had Wakamatsu to deal with. Danger was something that Kise was all too familiar with considering the kind of upbringing he has had and while he may not look like it, he could most definitely put up a fight if the situation calls for it. He began to debate the thought of knocking off the gun from Wakamatsu's grasp or giving him a nasty kick in the groin before making a quick run towards the stairs.

"Please Kise-kun… Just surrender yourself… We only want to ask you a few questions… This could all be some kind of a misunderstanding too… Chief Genta is on his way now so—"

"Genta?" Kise's eyes widened with surprise when he heard the name of the Chief Superintendent. "He… He's coming here?" he said with a shiver in his voice.

"Yeah— And a bunch of other officers— You're outnumbered now so— Arrggggh—" yelled Wakamatsu in pain just as Kise threw his whole weight towards the former without any warning and pinned him against the wall while he struggled desperately to grab hold of the gun in Wakamatsu's grasp.

Kise was focused on struggling hard to steal the gun from Wakamatsu for his own self-defence before making a run for it but Wakamatsu proved to be much tougher than he previously thought and it took almost all of Kise's energy to wrestle the gun from his tight grip when a loud shot rang out.

**BANG!**

Amidst the struggle, Wakamatsu had accidentally shot himself in his right knee and he was now screaming in pain as he fell to the floor and clutched his own leg in agony. Kise saw this as an opening for his getaway as he easily grabbed the gun from Wakamatsu's hand and turned around quickly to start running towards the stairs—

**BANG!**

Another shot echoed through the narrow corridor and Kise suddenly felt a piercing pain through the lower right side of his chest. For a brief moment, Kise only saw white pain before it dawned on him that he had just been shot after he looked down towards the source of his pain. He dropped Wakamatsu's gun on the floor as he desperately tried to plug the open wound in his chest from where warm blood has started to gush out with both of his hands and felt an even greater stabbing pain in his chest when he finally looked up to see Aomine with a smoking gun pointed at him.

"Wh— Why— Ao—"

He could no longer bear the amount of pain that ran through him as he began to lose consciousness and hit the hard floor surface.

* * *

"Well done Aomine-kun. This might be a chance for you to get that fast-track promotion," grinned Chief Genta as he patted Aomine on his back for his good work.


End file.
